LSU Football: Andy Staples says Harold Perkins is a Heisman contener

Though it’s marketed as the award given to the most valuable player in college football, the Heisman Trophy usually boils down to the quarterback with the best numbers — plus the occasional running back or, more rarely, receiver.

But a defensive player winning the award is almost unheard of. In fact, in the entire 88-year history of the Trophy, a primarily defensive player has only won the award once: Michigan’s Charles Woodson way back in 1997.

Michigan had another defensive finalist in Aidan Hutchinson two years ago, but it’s clear that any defensive player with Heisman ambitions faces an uphill battle.

If anyone has a chance this year, though, it could be LSU’s Harold Perkins. The crowned jewel in coach Brian Kelly’s transition class, Perkins burst onto the scene as a true freshman.

He finished with 72 tackles (13 for loss) and 7.5 sacks with three forced fumbles. That was good enough to earn First Team All-SEC and Freshman All-America honors.

It was also enough to convince On3 college football analyst Andy Staples that Perkins is the best bet for a defensive Heisman winner in 2023.

“There’s a guy out there who might fit that profile, and it’s LSU sophomore linebacker Harold Perkins,” Staples said. “Now, they didn’t quite know what they had in him at the beginning of last season. You could see as the season went on, they found all sorts of fun things to do with Harold Perkins. Then this spring, he’s working inside… 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 and play ‘Where’s Waldo?’ with him, and that will increase his numbers. He’s the type of guy that could have crazy stat-sheet-stuffing type stats… If LSU’s 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.”

As Staples alludes, LSU seems to be working Perkins in as an off-ball linebacker in addition to the primarily pass-rushing role he saw last season. He has the versatility to do that, and if so, it would give the Tigers an all-around defensive weapon in a similar vein to Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons.

Only time will tell if Perkins can produce at the level necessary to sustain those discussions, but he will certainly be a player the entire country is keeping an eye on this fall.

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