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New LSU football defensive coordinator Blake Baker has been on the job, and back in Baton Rouge, for a few, short months.
But that’s long enough to have run across one prevailing question on LSU’s defense.
“‘How are you going to use Harold?'” is what everybody wants to know, according the Baker, who helped recruit Perkins Jr. out of Cy Park High School in New Orleans during his previous one-year stint at LSU back in 2021.
After Baker was not retained by LSU football coach Brian Kelly on his initial staff, and he took off to be the DC at Missouri, Perkins had himself quite the freshman season in 2022, landing on the Freshman All-American Team and First-Team SEC. He finished his first season with the Tigers with 72 tackles, including 7.5 sacks, displaying how well Perkins could blitz off the edge from an outside linebacker position.
Former defensive coordinator Matt House tried to line Perkins up at inside linebacker last season, but early-season struggles and a dip in production had those outside questioning if that was the right move for the former five-star prospect. And come season’s end, House was fired by Kelly, who brought in Baker, who had coached Missouri’s defense to one of its better statistical seasons — 33rd in FBS in total defense.
Shortly after Baker’s arrival, Kelly let it be known that the initial plan for Perkins would be the move back inside and play the Will linebacker position. The move has been met with skepticism from fans.
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For Baker, why have Perkins play inside?
“I think you can use Harold in a variety of ways,” Baker recently told media members. “We have to start him somewhere and get him really good at that. He’s so explosive. He has an innate ability to turn an edge. We’re going to find out…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/inside-lsu-footballs-plan-star-180203914.html
Author : The Daily Advertiser
Publish date : 2024-04-09 18:02:03
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