Jimbo Fisher calls Harold Perkins 'very gifted'

No freshman has made a bigger name for himself down the stretch of the season than LSU’s Harold Perkins. Before signing his National Letter of Intent with the Tigers, Perkins was a popular man in the recruiting process. Programs across the country wanted him, including Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher.

In fact, Pekins was committed to the Aggies for a period of time before flipping over to their SEC West rivals. Now, he will face off against them for the first time and Fisher knows a challenge is ahead of his team. He spoke highly of Perkins, his athleticism, and called the linebacker a “natural player.”

“Harold is very gifted,” Fisher said. “We knew that. As great as he’s played on defense, you watch him in high school and you could argue he’s as good of an offensive player as he was defensive player. I think he averaged 10 yards a carry?

“Was really athletic, ball skilled. Really good basketball player. You could just see a natural player. He’s great in space, rushing, playing, physical, and he’s a really intelligent young man.”

Fisher was slightly off on Perkins’ YPC on offense, as he had 1,352 yards and 21 touchdowns on 78 attempts. That comes out to just over 17 yards per carry at the highest level of Texas high school football. An incredible feat for anybody but especially someone considered a defensive prospect.

Jimbo Fisher discusses recruiting Harold Perkins

Texas A&M was able to grab a commitment from Perkins around New Year’s Day 2022. Unfortunately for them, it ended before the month ended. Florida and LSU both received official visits before the Tigers were the selection.

Fisher discussed recruiting Perkins, calling him one “that got away.” Either way, the Aggies’ head coach enjoyed the process with the linebacker and his family.

“We knew going in he was a very, very highly recruited guy that we were in on for a long time,” said Fisher. “But one of those that got away. He’s a great player. I enjoyed being around him and his family.”

The On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services, rated Perkins as a five-star prospect. He was the No. 9 overall player in the 2022 class and second in the state of Texas.

Perkins has lived up to the hype thus far, breaking out over the past few games for LSU. His season total is now up to 57 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and 6.5 sacks. Whether he’s rushing the passer or truly playing linebacker for defensive coordinator Matt House, he’s blooming into one of the best defensive players in the country before our eyes.