LSU Football: Harold Perkins Awarded Coveted No. 7 Jersey Ahead of 2024 Season

Perkins is the next Tiger to wear the No. 7 jersey, awarded famous number ahead of the 2024 season.

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins has been awarded the coveted No. 7 jersey ahead of the 2024 season with Brian Kelly and the Tigers presenting the jersey to the defensive star on Thursday.

Perkins and LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell will be the pair of Tigers wearing the jersey number after Campbell was honored with the number last season. He wore a No. 7 patch on his No. 66 jersey in 2023, but wore No. 7 during practice

Perkins, a New Orleans native, is one of the top playmaking linebackers in college football, accumulating 147 tackles, 26.0 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in his first two years with the Tigers.

Perkins earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2022 and was named second-team all-conference last year. He’s also earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice and SEC Freshman of the Week one time during his career.

He was named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance (8 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) in LSU’s win over Arkansas in 2022.

As a rookie, Perkins earned Freshman All-America honors and was selected to the Freshman All-SEC team.

"We're having a hard time blocking him and we've got a pretty good offensive line. I think the best thing I could say about a player, regardless of the position they play, is he has elevated the players around him," LSU head coach Brian Kelly said during Fall Camp. I couldn't say that about Harold his first two years, he did not elevate the players around him. He is now entering that category of elevating the players around him. That's a pretty good thing for Tiger fans."

7Era @HP113k ✖️ @will_campbell66 pic.twitter.com/scIQ1AZJed

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) August 23, 2024

What qualities and characteristics must LSU's No. 7 attain? Brian Kelly dove into what it means to wear the number upon his arrival to Baton Rouge.

"(This number) is about somebody that brings an incredible ability, is from the state and calls Louisiana his home. This number is about a player that brings up others around him," Kelly said. "You can’t just be a great player - if it’s just about him - the number 7 jersey doesn’t work. You have to bring others up around him and that’s what (Campbell and Perkins) do. They elevate the play of those around him."

Now, Perkins is next in line to wear the coveted No. 7 jersey with LSU greats including Tyrann Mathieu, Patrick Peterson and Leonard Fournette, all repping the number in the past.

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