Top 2022 Aggies LB Target Harold Perkins Signs With LSU

The Aggies just lost a major linebacker target to an SEC West rival
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The Texas A&M Aggies have been red hot on the recruiting trail in recent weeks, emerging with the No. 1 ranked class in the nation after a dominant Early Signing Period, and more recently, landing the signature of the nation's No. 1 defensive recruit, Shemar Stewart.

Earlier this month, that momentum seemed to be at an all-time high, with elite Cy Park (Cypress, TX) linebacker Harold Perkins committed to the Aggies over Texas and LSU at the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando.

However, Perkins de-committed from the Aggies less than a month later and re-opened his recruitment. 

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"This has been one of the hardest decisions to make," Perkins said of his decision to de-commit. "But I will be de-committing from Texas A&M and will announce my decision February 2nd at my school."

Now, the No. 16 overall prospect in the nation per the Sports Illustrated rankings, has found his new home, signing with the LSU Tigers?

Perkins picked the Tigers despite late overtures from the Aggies, the Texas Longhorns, and the Florida Gators.

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A natural fit in the Aggies' defensive scheme, Perkins looked to be in line to immediately compete for significant playing time next season.

In the past two seasons with Cypress Park on defense, Perkins has accumulated 93 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, six quarterback hurries, 13 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception, a blocked punt, and a blocked field goal in just 20 games.

A dynamic athlete, Perkins also amassed 983 yards and 14 touchdowns on 96 carries (10.2 YPC) in just 10 games in his junior season at running back

Here is what SI All-American's John Garcia had to say about Perkins:

Few linebacker tapes are as fun as Perkins's. The Texan lines up at running back and off the ball on defense, where his vision, overall athleticism and play-making instincts can take over. As a linebacker, he is comfortable down hill, works well in the wash and explodes through contact. Perkins attacks the football under control with true pop, with seemingly the speed to keep up with wide receivers to boot. He'll need to fill out his frame to combat a collegiate running game, but the space skill is right there among the best at the position..


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Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.