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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
If we gathered all the bullish opinions regarding the on-field positioning of LSU redshirt junior Harold Perkins and put 'em in a room, we would have enough voices to fill Joel Osteen's megachurch 3x over, with booming declarations of "He's an edge rusher, damnit!!!" or "He's a pure off ball linebacker!!!" heard emanating for miles in the distance....
But before any speculation could build concerning his position for 2025, his expected final season at LSU if all goes to plan, defensive coordinator Blake Baker revealed Perkins would play the star position this upcoming fall, the spot he practiced at & randomly appeared in over Week 3 & 4.....before his season-ending ACL injury vs UCLA.
Our response to that "star" news would be two words:
"Duh..."
And "obviously"....
This wasn't a question for Baker heading into the winter offseason, nor was the upcoming position switch news to Perkins as he made his decision to stay another year.
Immediately around the fanbase and LSU beat media, many people rejoiced over the "news" of #7's position switch:
Not only was star the perfect "free role" / hybrid spot for Perkins within Baker's defense, but finally for the first time in his collegiate career, a coach has a plan for the former All-American freshman.
During games against elite competition, it was clear his future wasn't at the linebacker position, repeatedly chewed up in the center, unable to shed double team blocks from interior offensive linemen, getting lost in the wash of the trenches and left unable to locate ball carriers, Perkins' talents were buried within a tangled mess of bodies for 15 games....an almost unforgivable sin.
But now, deployed at a position where he'll enjoy more space to attack, increased opportunities to utilize his speed & freedom to anticipate plays from a slightly deeper vantage point, experiencing a full offseason of practice and preparation, while surrounded by elite teammates who should compliment Perkins' athletic gifts perfectly, the LSU red shirt junior phenom is ready for his second chance at an epic Year III....the caliber of season his talents deserve.
Leading a projected defensive unit alongside smashmouth linebacker Whit Weeks (also recovering from serious injury), the young but versatile & well rounded Davhon Keys, a pair of top 5 transfer DBs (Tamarcus Cooley & Mansoor Delane), a potential 1st round pick edge rusher (Patrick Payton), Jacobian Guillory's interior power & push, two other Weeks Brothers at linebacker, former 5 stars & #1 nationally ranked prospects DJ Pickett & sophomore Dominick McKinley, as well as a long list of young but talented Tigers, Perkins will be the fiery wild card supernova of LSU's 2025 defense...the final missing piece for Blake Baker's ever-improving unit, a superstar factor replete with blinding speed, ultimate ambition and boundless athleticism....
Harold Perkins can do anything on a football field....it's time LSU finally, fully unleash his rare skill set upon an unsuspecting college football world....playing a role (not unlike Tyrann Mathieu's free-reign spot at LSU) that should supply the best pass rushing and ball hawking opportunities for the Tigers' versatile New Orleans native / Texas-raised defender.
Perkins is a player who shouldn't be leaving Baton Rouge without a National Championship ring or the individual honors you'd expect for a player of his game-changing abilities.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2025 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
We often hear the comment about a player, “this is his money year.” At times it seems a bit overused, but in this case, it is right as rain. It’s time for Harold to be a consistent force and playmaker.,He’s got the talent, but it will be his football instincts that ultimately tell the tale this year.