How Will LSU Football Adjust on Defense Without Harold Perkins?

Brian Kelly and Co. will tinker the scheme in Week 5, adjust to life without Harold Perkins on defense.

Sep 7, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Nicholls State Colonels quarterback Pat McQuaide (7) rolls out of the pocket against LSU Tigers linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (7) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff enter their first weekend without Harold Perkins after the star linebacker suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4.

Perkins, who earned the coveted No. 7 while playing a pivotal role for the LSU defense, has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL.

The injury occurred in the fourth quarter against UCLA after pursuing a tackle. Now, his season is over with the Tigers preparing for life after Perkins.

Kelly has activated true freshman linebacker Xavier Atkins to run with the second-team alongside West Weeks. A player who was set to redshirt in year one with the program, Atkins will now utilize this season and see playing time.

“We made some slight changes,” Kelly said on Thursday. “We activated Xavier Atkins in the second group. We got West Weeks back, so we feel really good about the linebacker rotation. If we needed to play three linebackers we can do that. If we play two with a Nickel we can do that. We had a really good week of practice. Our guys will play well. We feel terrible about Harold, but our guys have moved on and had a good week of practice.”

#LSU has activated true freshman linebacker Xavier Atkins following Harold Perkins’ season-ending injury.

Atkins will run with the second-team alongside West Weeks.

The 6’0, 210-pounder gives the Tigers another elite-level freshman poised to make an impact in Year 1. pic.twitter.com/EaDajmqawc

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) September 26, 2024

Atkins will play a key role, but the plan moving forward is clear: LSU will look to utilize a 4-2-5 defense once again with Whit Weeks and Greg Penn III running the second-level of defense.

“We will have somebody else step up like we (already have had) this year,” Kelly said on Monday. “We lost Jacobian Guillory, and a true freshman in Ahmad Breaux steps in and plays the past three weeks for us. We lose John Emery, and another freshman in Caden Durham steps in and does a good job for us. And, the same thing here.

"The next guy up will come in and rally and put us in a position where we have success, as well. These are difficult, but we have really good players who come here and can step in and fill in for LSU and move forward."

When Perkins was healthy, LSU rolled out a 4-3 defense with [Whit] Weeks and Penn alongside Perkins.

Moving forward, the game plan will likely shift and Kelly alluded to that.

“If we want to play three linebackers on the field, the first guy that would move out there would be Whit Weeks (SAM), then West Weeks would move to MIKE linebacker and Greg Penn would play WILL. So, if we wanted to be in 'Buffalo', we are still in a really good position. We would probably activate Xavier Atkins as the next WILL in that type of situation. So, that’s what we would be in if we wanted to stay in the configuration that we were currently in (vs. UCLA).

“We would probably look at, also, going back into a STAR position with Major Burns playing the STAR, backed up by Kylin Jackson. That would be the other look we have. So, we have the versatility to be in either one of those defensive structures.”

It'll be a new-look defense for the Tigers heading into Week 5 against the South Alabama Jaguars, but it presents an opportunity for the program to tinker the scheme before SEC play begins in Week 7 against Ole Miss.

No. 14 LSU will take on South Alabama at 6:45 p.m. CT on Saturday with the Week 5 battle set to be live on the SEC Network.

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What's Next for LSU Without Harold Perkins?

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