DALLAS – LSU do-it-all linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. smiles as he hears the question, grill gleaming as he’s, well, grilled about what position(s) he’ll play in 2024 and beyond.
“I feel like (I can play) anywhere,” Perkins said. “I don’t put myself in categories, like this is who I am. I can play anything, from running back to quarterback to receiver, linebacker, D-line or whatever.”
He probably could do all of that, which makes him such a tantalizing prospect. It also means almost everyone has an opinion on where he should play.
A five-star recruit and the top-rated linebacker in the Class of 2022, Perkins exploded onto the scene as a true freshman edge menace, posting 72 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. His numbers as a sophomore were similar — 75 tackles, 13 TFLs, 5.5 sacks — but the process looked different.
LSU opted to move Perkins to inside linebacker ahead of the 2023 season. It did not go well. Perkins struggled to hold up inside against Florida State, which led to a quick pivot the rest of the year that saw Perkins play mostly SAM linebacker, a role in which he played more snaps in coverage (291 snaps) than as a pass rusher (162 snaps).
The change nerfed Perkins’ pressure rate (his PFF pass rush grade dropped from 90.9 to 72.8) as LSU’s defense cratered, falling from 51st nationally in yards allowed per play to 109th in 2023.
Perkins did show flashes of off-ball brilliance — he excelled in coverage with an 81.1 PFF grade — and his athletic ability makes him a sideline-to-sideline tackling machine. But LSU finished 104th nationally in pressure rate, and fans consistently questioned why the Tigers had one of the sport’s best pass rush weapons yet failed to use him consistently.
One year later, LSU is again opting to start the season with Perkins as an inside linebacker. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker has said that’s the best long-term position for the 6-foot-1 Texan, who is an explosive pass rusher with tweener size.
But that doesn’t stop the debate around where he should play.
LSU coach Brian Kelly defended Perkins’ use last season, pointing to Perkins’ weight as an issue for his full-time transition inside. Kelly said Perkins played the 2023 season at near 210 pounds; he enters this season at 225. Asked what he’d do different looking back at the way Perkins was deployed last season, Kelly cracked “We would have tied him…
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