Sometimes, a stat line doesn’t show a complete picture in college football. For linebacker Harold Perkins Jr, something was off with him versus Florida State in week one. He ended up totaling five tackles, but he wasn’t making the plays many fans have become accustomed to. In week two, however, coach Brian Kelly made some adjustments, and while it didn’t show in his stats, the LSU football star was elite in week two vs. Grambling State.
Following an unimpressive week one, linebacker Harold Perkins Jr showed out vs. Grambling State
For anyone who didn’t watch the LSU football vs. Grambling State game, they might wonder why linebacker Harold Perkins Jr was so ineffective. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
To be fair, his one tackle and one pass deflection isn’t exactly eye-popping. Still, for anyone who watched the game, it was apparent that the star linebacker was back to his old self. He was flying around the field and making an impact even where it didn’t necessarily show in the box score.
According to Pro Football Focus, the star linebacker ranked No. 1 out of all linebackers in college football when it came to pass rushing. Furthermore, he was incredibly successful when rushing the backfield, as he also ranked No. 1 out of all defenders in his pass-rush win rate.
So, while it didn’t necessarily show up in his official stat line, linebacker Harold Perkins Jr was making an impact. Add in the fact that he didn’t play much due to the dominant nature of the Tigers’ 72-10 win, and people should be feeling pretty good about him.
Coach Brian Kelly was pleased with the star linebacker’s performance
Heading into week one, the LSU football coaching staff decided to try something new. They wanted to put linebacker Harold Perkins Jr in at inside linebacker as a bit of a trial. The idea was to get him more in the center of the defense so he could impact all levels of the field.
However, that didn’t work. It was apparent to just about everyone, and the Tigers elected to make a change heading into week two. Turns out, that was a pretty good idea.
In week two vs. Grambling State, the former five-star flew around the field, making his presence known in a way that college football fans grew used to in 2022. When speaking with the media about it, coach Brian Kelly seemed thrilled with the adjustment, as he could play free once again.
“Well, we wanted to free him up a little bit. He’s got a lot of responsibilities playing inside, and we just needed to let him go and let him play fast,” head coach Brian Kelly said to the media on Monday. “We felt like with all the things that we had asked him to do, we probably slowed him down a little bit. And one of the things we have to do as coaches is know where your players are relative to playing fast.”
“I think we saw in the very first play with the physicality he showed when the ball got out on the perimeter, that’s not something that you want to do is throw the ball out on the perimeter with Harold (Perkins Jr). So, I think we made the right decision there, and now we’ll refine what we do with him. Like, we can move him around, we can move him inside and outside, and do some things that can keep him in a position to impact the game. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Keep an eye out for how the Tigers utilize linebacker Harold Perkins Jr this coming week vs. Mississippi State. If they continue to build on last week’s performance, it could mean big things for the LSU football defense.
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