LSU's Harold Perkins will play at ILB | Is Brian Kelly wasting Perkins' talent?

Locked On LSU - Daily Podcast On LSU Tigers Football & Basketball

LSU head football coach Brian Kelly sat down with Wilson Alexander of The Baton Rouge Advocate and shared that elite defensive talent Harold Perkins will move back to the inside linebacker position for the 2024 season, likely Perkins' last season with the Tigers before declaring for the NFL Draft. As a freshman, Perkins played a fluid, edge rusher/quarterback spy role. In his second season, Kelly and former defensive coordinator Matt House wanted Perkins to play a true position and felt his most natural one was at ILB. So Perkins played that position in the first game of the 2023 season against Florida State and was essentially a non-factor versus the Seminoles. Perkins recorded five tackles and zero sacks against FSU, a far cry from his impact the season prior. Kelly moved Perkins to SAM linebacker for the rest of last season, but is willing to try it again this year.

Kelly overhauled the coaching staff this offseason bringing in former Missouri DC Blake Baker to serve in the same role with the Bayou Bengals. Baker has a proven track record of developing and refining linebackers and even has a history of doing so at LSU. In 2021, Baker served as the linebackers coach under DC Daronte Jones' staff. Under the coaching of Baker, former LSU LB Damone Clark had his best season in the purple and gold.

But Perkins role is not the only one changing – fourth year offensive lineman Kimo Makane'ole will move to the defensive side of the ball to add depth to a defensive tackle room left thin after Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith declared for the NFL Draft.

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