Harold Perkins injury deals blow to LSU football team's defense | LSU

Harold Perkins left the field at Tiger Stadium with his arms around the shoulders of two LSU athletic trainers. They helped him reach the sideline, and after a few minutes in the injury tent, Perkins walked slowly to the locker room with a towel over his head.

The worst was suspected after Perkins sat out a 34-17 win over UCLA and tests on Sunday revealed he had torn an ACL, a source confirmed to The Advocate, ending the star linebacker's junior season.

The injury was a major blow to Perkins and LSU's No. 14 pick. Perkins, a former five-star recruit and preseason All-American, was arguably the team's most athletic player. Although he hasn't been able to take off this year, his potential set a new standard for a defense looking to improve under new coordinator Blake Baker.

LSU will now have to play without Perkins before entering Southeastern Conference play next month. The Tigers have already lost running back John Emery (ACL) and defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory (Achilles) to season-ending injuries.

And now Perkins is also finished for this year.

Injury means great loss

There was talk leading up to the season about how dynamic Perkins could be when he moved up to inside linebacker in Baker's aggressive scheme. He made a lot of plays in practice and coaches were excited about him. Baker said Perkins was playing “at full speed” and “not even scratching the surface of where he's going to be.” Brian Kelly felt that Perkins was elevating everyone around him for the first time in his career.

That hadn't translated to the field yet. Perkins recorded 17 tackles, 1 ½ sacks and a fumble recovery while playing the second-most snaps (224) on the team. He missed six tackles on the team, according to Pro Football Focus, but also showed what he can do by botching a play against Southern Cal and contributing to a turnover at South Carolina.

Perkins still had the potential to take a step forward as he settled into a new position in a new defense. Few defenders in college football are as fast as him. Even though he hadn't lived up to expectations thus far, the injury prevented him from getting the chance to try and Baker from reaching his full potential.

What will LSU do now?

Perkins began the season as a weakside linebacker as LSU tried to use him in the middle of the defense. He moved to strongside linebacker after two games before LSU beat South Carolina 36-33, allowing the Tigers to play with three linebackers at once.

LSU will continue to use senior Greg Penn and sophomore Whit Weeks at linebacker, a position expected to descend into Baker's defense and make key plays. What changes is who will play alongside them and possibly the scheme itself.

“We have a lot of options there,” Kelly said Saturday. “We hope (Perkins) is OK. We hope he comes back to us. But we'll be able to move to other packages that are similar to what we're doing.”

Kelly said LSU could replace Perkins with senior West Weeks if LSU plays with three linebackers in what is known as a Buffalo package. Weeks has played 29 games at LSU as a backup and special teams contributor. He missed the last two games because of a lower leg injury, but Kelly said Weeks will return next week against South Alabama.

“He played really good football for us,” Kelly said.

LSU lacks experience behind West Weeks. The three other scholarship players on the roster – Xavier Atkins, Davhon Keys and Tylen Singleton – are all true freshmen. Atkins and Keys appeared in the last three games, but neither of them has played a defensive snap.

LSU could also return to the 4-2-5 defense it used earlier in the season and put senior defensive back Major Burns back in the star position, a hybrid role closer to the line of scrimmage. Burns started the last two games at safety.

Having Burns play as a star again would change what LSU has done over the past two games. Since moving to a 4-3 advantage, the Tigers have used Burns, freshman Dashawn Spears, redshirt junior transfer Jardin Gilbert and redshirt junior Sage Ryan at safety. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Allen played seven snaps against UCLA after returning from injury.

If LSU plays with five defensive backs, the secondary would have to improve quickly. The Tigers rank 96th nationally with 240 yards allowed per game. They have allowed 8.3 yards per attempt, the most in the SEC.

What's next

The athletic and speedy Perkins broke out as a freshman edge rusher with 72 tackles, 7 ½ sacks, 13 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. He dominated a close win over Arkansas with three sacks despite playing with the flu, establishing himself as one of LSU's most exciting players.

But the last two years have been about figuring out where he fits best as a 6'1″, 220-pound defender who can get the most from distance. He played primarily as an outside linebacker, making 75 tackles and 5½ sacks his sophomore year. Then LSU moved him inside, and while he hadn't really hit the ground running yet, who knows how his season would have turned out.

Perkins now has to recover from a serious injury and decide what to do next with his career. He was considered a possible first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Meanwhile, LSU must figure out how to replace him. The Tigers play South Alabama this week before an at-large date, entering the toughest stretch of the season without one of their most talented players.