LSU Country

How Will LSU Football Utilize Harold Perkins Next Season After Revealing Return?

Perkins will return to Baton Rouge for the 2025 season, but his usage in the LSU scheme remains in question.

Zack Nagy

Courtesy of LSU Football.
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LSU linebacker Harold Perkins will return to Baton Rouge for the 2025 season after revealing his decision on Friday afternoon.

The star defensive piece adds an element to the Tigers' defense that has head coach Brian Kelly and other key components to the roster eager at what's to come.

Perkins took Baton Rouge by storm during his true freshman campaign with the Tigers in 2022.

A player shot out of a cannon on every snap, Perkins quickly emerged as a player NFL scouts would be keeping tabs on during his college career.

Following a stellar campaign in Year 1 with the program, there was slight regression in 2023 after the LSU coaching staff struggled to find his ideal role.

Then, fast forward to Perkins' junior campaign in 2024 and it had an abrupt ending with the star linebacker suffering a torn ACL early in the season.

A player who was receiving first round buzz in the 2025 NFL Draft, despite Perkins' usage remaining a question mark, it was a brutal blow for the program.

Now, Perkins has made his decision: Return to LSU, continue rehabbing and prepare for a senior season where he can boost his 2026 NFL Draft stock.

He's finishing the early stages of his recovery, according to head coach Brian Kelly, with a focus now on getting back up to speed.

"He's doing really well in his recovery talking to Owen Stanley, our athletic trainer," Kelly said in December. "He's been in the building quite a bit now that he's passed the early stages of the repair. Now, it's about hard work."

With Perkins set to return, the main questions surrounding his usage have been brought up again.

Kelly and current members of the LSU roster addressed the media on Saturday where they were asked about Perkins' return, his status moving forward and more.

*Credit to the WAFB News Station for the full interview with Kelly and other Tigers in Houston for the Texas Bowl.*

The Usage of Perkins in 2025:

“It puts us in a position now to add another athlete to our defense,” Kelly said. “We’ve been very aggressive with building our roster. You add another player like that to our defense and it allows Blake to do some things defensively that will only enhance who we are.

“We’re in the early stages of that discussion [of his role for next year]. Harold has a really good sense for where he wants to be and we’re in alignment with that, but we’re going to let that play out after we finish off the roster, then it will be a lot clearer as to where that fits. It’s going to enhance who he is as a player.”

LSU Linebacker Greg Penn's Thoughts:

“He’s going to be a leader. Him coming back with this defense, it will be a really good group, especially at linebacker. Having Perk back is really important. He’s one of the best players in the country, so what more do you really want? He’s been around the team a lot. He’s always in the training room and getting rehab.”

LSU Running Back Josh Williams Chimes In:

“He can come back even stronger than he was. Him and Whit [Weeks] in that linebacker room, they’re going to take over the defense and be dominant leaders. Perkins’ athletic ability allows him to do whatever he wants on the field, it’s just about what position he wants to play, so I’m excited to see what does when he comes back. I know he wants to be more of a leader and wants to talk more and come back on a revenge tour.”

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

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