According to a report from Matt Zenitz of 247Sports on Sunday night, LSU junior linebacker Harold Perkins tore his ACL in Saturday’s 34-17 home win over UCLA and will miss the rest of the season.
Perkins, a former five-star recruit, was a first-team All-SEC selection as a true freshman in 2022 when he produced 72 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two passes broken up and one interception.
Perkins garnered second-team All-SEC honors last year when he recorded 75 tackles, 13 TFL’s, 5.5 sacks, five PBU, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception.
In four games this year, Perkins had contributed 17 tackles, two TFL’s and one fumble recovery.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Perkins ranked as the #2 off-ball LB in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was projected as a first-round pick.
Whether this injury changes that forecast remains to be seen. You would think that this most likely means that Perkins, a New Orleans product, has played his last game for the Tigers.
If so, he ends his LSU career with 164 tackles, 28 TFL’s, 13 sacks, seven PBU, seven forced fumbles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Brian Kelly’s team had already lost senior DT Jacobian Guillory and RB John Emery to season-ending injuries. LSU (3-1 straight up, 0-4 against the spread) will host South Alabama on Saturday.
Without Perkins, it’ll be a tough test for an LSU defense that’s facing an outstanding quarterback in Gio Lopez, who has led the Jaguars to back-to-back wins vs. Northwestern St. (87-10) and at Appalachian St. (48-14).
The left-handed Lopez has completed 57-of-92 passes (62.0%) for 843 yards and nine TDs without an interception in three games. Lopez also has 169 rushing yards and two TDs with an 8.0 yards-per-carry average.
As of Monday morning, most books had LSU installed as a 20.5-point home favorite vs. USA. The total was 65.5 points, and the Jaguars were +800 on the money line at DraftKings.