By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
DALLAS – Man, it was fun to watch.
Rewind to the 2022 football season when LSU true freshman outside linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. was like a tornado dropping from the sky, carving a path of destruction through SEC backfields.
It took eight starts for the Texas Tasmanian Devil to earn All-SEC and freshman All-America first-team honors.
His 13 tackles for loss, including 7½ sacks, resulted from lining up a superb athlete in space and telling him to tackle anybody who had the ball as quickly and viciously as possible.
Don’t think. Just sic ’em.
Like when he destroyed Arkansas with three sacks and three forced fumbles.
“One of my better performances,” said Perkins, who along with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and tight end Mason Taylor represented LSU on Monday at the Omni Hotel for the start of the 39th annual SEC Media Days.
Then came last season, ending with a 10-3 record only because of the offensive brilliance of three first-round draft choices, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.
But it was also one of the most colossal defensive horror shows in LSU football history, starting with then-defensive coordinator Matt House moving Perkins to middle linebacker.
It was as if Perkins’ natural talent was placed in witness protection. He looked slow and hesitant. He disappeared in a forest of 320-pound-plus offensive linemen. It wasn’t until after several games that House began moving Perkins around, getting him back in open space.
Perkins finished with 13 tackles for loss, including five sacks. Yet his only memorable play was an interception late in the first half at Missouri that led to a TD as LSU battled back from a 22-10 deficit for a 49-39 win.
“The decision to move inside wasn’t for me or anything else,” Perkins said. “It was the best decision that was needed for the team. You’ve just got to live and learn from it.”
Maybe so or maybe not.
One of the stunning revelations of LSU head coach Brian Kelly firing House and replacing him in January with Missouri D-coordinator Blake Baker was Baker immediately penciled in Perkins as a starting linebacker.
Huh? That’s like asking Perkins to break back into last year’s early-season prison.
“Harold was much more impactful as a pass rusher (as a freshman), somebody that was a situational player, and quite frankly maybe got a reputation as that,” Kelly said. “But that’s not who he is. He’s an every-down linebacker who can play inside and out, can run, obviously rush the passer, and tackle from sideline to sideline.
“The developmental process is coaches have to be able to see what he can do right now vs. what can he do as he develops, and then ultimately, what his position will be as moves to the next level.”
No one – Kelly, Perkins or Baker – has explained yet how Perkins will make a huge leap of improvement to suddenly play inside again among the behemoths who made him invisible.
Baker said in the spring he won’t anchor Perkins inside the defensive box for every snap.
“We’re not going to just put him in one spot and say `Hey, this what you’re gonna do,’’ Baker said. “We have to start him there and he’s got to get really good in the position. He also has the innate ability to come off the edge. He’s a really good blitzer. He’s really good in coverage. There’s not much that the guy can’t do.”
Perkins is counting on a slight weight gain, his increased film study and his copesetic working relationship with Baker to make his second shot playing inside a success.
“It’s football, so you can’t be a small guy running around,” said Perkins, who has raised his playing weight from 217 last season to 225. “I put on a few pounds of muscle. I like it. I feel bigger, faster and stronger.”
Perkins who admitted he “thought too much” last year as a middle linebacker, has realized knowledge is power. That’s why he’s been living in the film room.
“Every offense has an identity and has tendencies,” Perkins said. “You’ve got to know what you’re looking at. Once you lock into those tendencies, it’s easier to go out there and play. I’m trusting my instincts and what I’m capable of doing and trusting my teammates.”
Finally, there’s Perkins’ relationship with Baker, who served as linebackers coach on previous LSU head coach Ed Orgeron’s staff in 2021 but was not retained on Kelly’s first staff.
Baker had originally recruited for the Tigers when Perkins was rated the nation’s fourth-best high school player as a senior for Cypress Park (Texas) High.
“I fell in love with Coach Baker when he came to our first (LSU) practice wearing cleats,” Perkins said. “I liked that he was out there showing us what he wanted.
“He has that type of relationship with his players. He’s not talking about it. He’s being about it.”
Finally, Perkins believes he can shine as a middle linebacker.
“I’m confident Coach Baker can put me in the right position to make plays,” Perkins said. “At the end of the day, it’s a mindset thing. If you’re a dog, you’re a dog.
“When you play outside (linebacker), teams can run away from me. I love playing inside because they’re running at me.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com