LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in the Tigers’ 34-17 win against UCLA on Saturday, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Athletic.
It’s a big blow for LSU and for Perkins, a former five-star recruit who is No. 20 on Dane Brugler’s Big Board for the 2025 NFL Draft. 247Sports first reported the extent of Perkins’ injury.
Perkins lit up college football as a freshman pass-rusher in 2022, breaking onto the scene with 7.5 total sacks. He moved to linebacker last year with mixed results, though he once again ended with respectable counting stats: 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Perkins beefed up in the offseason to around 225 pounds to play weakside linebacker, and the junior was awarded the legendary No. 7 jersey in fall camp. He moved to strongside linebacker before the South Carolina game. Perkins had 17 tackles through four games this year.
Head coach Brian Kelly said after Saturday’s game that LSU’s defense would have to adjust without Perkins.
“We’ve got a lot of options there,” Kelly said. “We hope he’s OK. We hope he’s back for us. But we’ll be able to move into other packages that resemble what we’re doing.”
LSU, 3-1, has already faced season-ending injuries to running back John Emery Jr. and defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory.