Harold Perkins fits mold for breakthrough for defensive player as Heisman winner

By season’s end last fall, LSU linebacker Harold Perkins was flat-out one of the most dominant defensive players in the entire SEC and was a huge part of why the Tigers made an unexpected run back to the SEC title game. That was just his true freshman season. Heading into year two, the expectations are lofty, with one On3 analyst ready to pick Perkins as his Heisman dark horse.

That’s right. On3’s Andy Staples sees those +15000 Heisman odds next to Harold Perkins’ name and is ready to cash in on a defensive superstar he believes could challenge the offensively-dominated award that is the holy grail for college football players. So watch here or read below Staples’ case for why LSU’s Harold Perkins could be the one to upset tradition and make a case as the best player in college ball this coming year:

Andy Staples thinks Harold Perkins could compete for the Heisman Trophy

“What about a defensive guy? Remember, we are only two years removed from Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan edge rusher, being second in Heisman Trophy balloting. That same year, Alabama’s Will Anderson was fifth in the balloting. So two edge rushers in the top five. It’s gonna happen at some point where some Defender is so dominant that we cannot ignore what he does. There’s a guy out there who might fit that profile and it’s LSU sophomore linebacker Harold Perkins.

“Now, they didn’t quite know what they had in him at the beginning of last season. You could see as the season moved on they found all sorts of fun things to do with Harold Perkins. Then this spring he’s working inside and people are like… ‘What are you doing working him inside? Isn’t he just going to get covered up and have to take on double team blocks?’

“And no, what they’re doing is trying to make it where it is hard to figure out offensively where Harold Perkins is every snap. They want to be able to move him around, play Where’s Waldo with him, and that will increase his numbers. And he’s the type of guy that could have just crazy stat sheet stuffing type stats. He’s going to have tackles for loss, he’s going to have some sacks, but he’ll have forced fumbles, he could have interceptions.

“He’s a bigger player, he’s playing in a different position, but think back to Tyrann Mathieu at LSU in 2011, where it felt like he was doing a bunch of everything every game. If LSU is really good, Harold Perkins is probably the best player on that team.

“So Jayden Daniels is the betting favorite in the Heisman race among LSU players, but Harold Perkins may be the reason if LSU is competing for the SEC title, competing for the national title. So keep an eye on that. Perkins at least has odds, he’s +15000.”