LSU Football Injury Report: Brian Kelly Confirms Harold Perkins Status, Updates Others

Brian Kelly and Co. continue battling the injury bug, provides an update on a pair of Tigers heading into Week 5.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly addressed the media on Monday afternoon to discuss the Tigers' Week 4 victory over UCLA and what's next heading into game preparation for South Alabama.

Kelly and Co. are in the midst of a three game win streak after taking down the UCLA Bruins on Saturday in Death Valley.

Now, it's on to Week 5 with the South Alabama Jaguars heading to Baton Rouge.

LSU will be without star linebacker Harold Perkins for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL against UCLA, Kelly confirmed on Monday.

Who else is on this week's injury report?

Harold Perkins: Torn ACL

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter on Saturday with many assuming the worst once he immediately went to the locker room.

Now, the results are in with Perkins done for the year with a torn ACL.

Kelly dove into the impact of Perkins, who steps up next and more:

The Injury: Perkins Done for the Year

“It’s an injury we feel terrible about, especially for Harold and the work he has done to put himself in a great position,” Kelly said. “You lose players all the time, and you just feel terrible for them individually because of all the work and time they have put in.”

"Next Man Up" Approach: Young Players on the Rise

“We will have somebody else step up like we (already have had) this year,” Kelly said. “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.”

How Does the Scheme Change? What's the Defensive Package Now?

“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.”

Zy Alexander: Day-to-Day (Concussion)

LSU cornerback Zy Alexander suffered a concussion early against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday and will continue working through concussion protocol this week.

It'll be about checking the boxes leading up to game day against South Alabama, but Kelly and Co. are in no rush to get Alexander back on the field this weekend.

The program feels comfortable about the depth pieces, and even sliding Javien Toviano to cornerback, if need be.

LSU will gradually work Alexander back in the mix as he goes through concussion protocol.

More LSU News:

Instant Takeaways: No. 16 LSU Takes Down UCLA 34-17 in Big-Time Victory

What's Next for LSU Without Harold Perkins?

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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