#7 Harold Perkins Jr. Season 2025
2024 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2023 Second-Team All-SEC (Coaches)
2023 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2022 First-Team All-SEC (AP)
2022 Second-Team All-SEC (Coaches)
2022 Freshman All-America (Football Writers Association of America, The Athletic, College Football News)
2022 True Freshman All-America (ESPN)
2022 Freshman All-SEC (Coaches)
2022 Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week vs. Arkansas
2022 SEC Defensive Player of the Week vs. Arkansas
2022 SEC Defensive Player of the Week vs. Alabama
2022 SEC Freshman of the Week vs. Ole Miss
2022 LSU Percy E. Roberts Defensive Player of the Year
2022 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
All-around outstanding linebacker with elite skills that allow him to impact the game in a variety of ways … Has spent his career terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, while being a defender teams have to game plan against … Had 2024 season cut short after suffering knee injury in week 4 against UCLA … Expected to be back to full strength for the opening of the 2025 season … Opted to return to LSU for a fourth season, bypassing the NFL Draft for another year … Versatility on defense allows him to lineup in numerous areas on the field … Great speed and instincts with the ability to make plays from sideline to sideline … Tremendous at rushing the passer and creating havoc in the backfield … Teams often run plays in the opposite direction of him … Has to be accounted for pre-snap and once the play is underway and has proven to be difficult to block … Has positioned himself – through experience and dedication to learning all facets of the game – to becoming another great LSU linebacker … Will team with junior Whit Weeks to give LSU one of top linebacker tandems in college football in 2025 … Does just about everything on the defensive side of the ball extremely well … Added dropping into coverage among his many assets in 2023 … Has all of the tools to take his game to the next level …
Accomplished on the field and in the classroom, earning SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition three times during his career … On the field, earned first-team All-SEC honors as a true freshman in 2022 followed by second-team distinction in 2023 … In 31 career games, has recorded 27.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks … Ranks just outside the LSU Top 10 on the all-time tackles for loss list … Scored on a 1-yard TD run in his first appearance on the offensive side of the ball in win over Wisconsin in 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl … As a true freshman, earned conference honors from the SEC for 3 consecutive weeks – SEC Freshman of the Week vs. Ole Miss; SEC Defensive Player of the Week vs. Alabama and Arkansas … Named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week vs. Arkansas … … Has appeared in 31 games, starting 25 times, with 164 career tackles … Born in New Orleans, but family was forced to relocate to the Houston-area following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 … Calls New Orleans his hometown … Majoring in sports administration … Wears No. 7, a number given by head coach Brian Kelly to the best playmaker from the state of Louisiana on the team.
JUNIOR SEASON (2024)
Had season cut short after only 4 games due to a knee injury suffered against UCLA … Started first 4 games of the season, tallying 17 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss … Added a fumble recovery in win over South Carolina in week 3 … Opened season with 9 tackles and a half-tackle for loss vs. USC … Had 3 tackles in home opener against Nicholls … Had 2 tackles vs. UCLA before suffering injury.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2023)
Started all 13 games at linebacker … Led the Tigers in tackles for loss for a second consecutive year with 13.0, accounting for 54-yards in losses … Recorded 75 tackles and 5.5 sacks … Earned Second-Team All-SEC honors from the league coaches … Credited with a tackle for loss in 10 straight games beginning with 2.0 for losses in September win over Mississippi State and ending with 1.5 for losses in win over Texas A&M in November … In win over the Aggies, tied season-high with 9 tackles and a half-sack … Had 9 tackles, 1 for a 3-yard loss, at Ole Miss … Had 8 tackles in back-to-back games vs. Alabama and Florida … Also had sacks against both Alabama and Florida … Season-highs of 2.0 tackles for loss at Mississippi State and vs. Auburn … In September-win over Arkansas, had 6 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack for a 9-yard loss and forced 2 fumbles … In 2 career games vs. Arkansas – both wins – has 14 tackles, 4.0 sacks totaling 36-yards in losses, and 4 forced fumbles … Closed regular-season with 9 tackles, including 1.5 for losses and a half-sack, in win over Texas A&M … In win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl, had 4 tackles and a quarterback hurry … Played on offense for the first time of his career in bowl game, scoring on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.
TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON (2022)
Arguably the top true freshman defender in school history … Had a big an impact on LSU’s 2022 SEC Western Division title as any player on the team … Played in all 14 games with 8 starts … Named First-Team All-SEC by the Associated Press and second-team by the league’s coaches … Freshman All-America as well as being selected Freshman All-SEC … During a 3-week span, earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors vs. Ole Miss and then followed that with back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors vs. Alabama and Arkansas … Finished year with 72 tackles and led LSU in tackles for loss (13.0) and sacks (7.5) … His 13 tackles for loss were the most among Power 5 freshmen … It also ranked No. 2 in the SEC … Had at least 1 tackle for loss in LSU’s final 7 games … Led all Power 5 freshman in sacks and finished third in the SEC … Had his breakthrough game in week 3 in win over Mississippi State with 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (-14) and 1.5 sacks (-13) … First start of career came following week against New Mexico (7 tackles) … Intercepted first pass of career in win over Auburn in week 5 … Interception came at LSU 10-yard line early in fourth quarter with LSU up 21-17 … Had a QB hurry on 3-and-14 on Auburn’s next possession that forced a punt … Had 5 solo tackles in road win over Florida … Earned his first SEC Freshman of the Week honors with 6 tackles, a sack for a 6-yard loss and 2 QB hurries in win over Ole Miss … Earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in overtime win over Alabama (8 tackles, sack for 6-yard loss, 3 QB hurries) … Sack of Alabama QB Bryce Young came in second quarter on 3-and-5 at LSU 6-yard line that forced an Alabama field goal … Gained national attention with 8 tackles, including 3 sacks for 27-yards in losses and 2 forced fumbles in win over Arkansas … Earned National Player of the Week honors for his performance vs. Razorbacks … The 3 sacks were 1 shy of tying school record … Had 10 tackles, including 1.5 for losses, and forced a fumble vs. Georgia in SEC Championship Game … Closed season with 3 tackles, a sack for a 7-yard loss, and a forced fumble in Citrus Bowl win over Purdue.
HIGH SCHOOL
Outstanding linebacker rated No. 4 for the entire Class of 2022 by ESPN … Five-star prospect by ESPN and the website’s top-rated outside linebacker … Listed as the nation’s No. 8 overall prospect and the No. 2 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite rankings … Earned five stars by 247Sports … Given five stars and a No. 7 overall national ranking in the composite On3 list … On3 ranks him No. 1 at his position nationally and the No. 2 prospect in Texas … Rated four stars and the nation’s No. 33 overall prospect by Rivals.com … Graded No. 3 at his position nationally and No. 6 overall in the state of Texas … Also played running back in high school, earning first team All-Greater Houston as a utility player on offense … Participated in the Under Armour All-America Game … Originally from New Orleans, but played high school football at Cypress Park in Cypress, Texas … Played basketball in high school.
Harold Perkins’ Career Highs
Tackles: 10 vs. Georgia, 2022 SEC Championship Game
Tackles for Loss: 3.0 vs. Arkansas, 2022
Sacks: 3.0 vs. Arkansas, 2022
QB hurries: 3, 2x (Last: vs. Alabama, 2022; First: vs. Ole Miss, 2022)
Interceptions: 1, 2x (Last: at Missouri, 2023; First: at Auburn, 2022)
Pass Breakups: 1, 6x (Last: vs. Auburn, 2023; First: vs. Alabama, 2022)
Forced Fumble: 2, 2x (Last: vs. Arkansas, 2023; First: at Arkansas, 2022
Fumble Recovery: 1 vs. South Carolina, 2024