Spring game analysis: How Harold Perkins played at inside linebacker
One of the more intriguing storylines of the spring has been Harold Perkins moving from a pass rushing outside linebacker to an inside linebacker position. Coming off of an all-american caliber freshman season, Perkins entered year two looking for more on his plate and the hope from defensive coordinator Matt House was to utilize him in a more conventional way on early downs especially.
Throughout the spring, Perkins has been working at Will linebacker alongside veteran transfer Omar Speights in the starting unit and from all accounts he’s learning a lot and settling in well under House. On Saturday, Perkins was put to the test in the spring game, strictly playing Will linebacker alongside Speights with the ones.
Perkins did not play much into the second half, with Whit Weeks subbing in the third quarter. He finished the game with one tackle and one sack.
I went back and watched all of his snaps from the game. Here’s my breakdown of what Perkins showed and what it means moving forward.
Pass rushing
Brian Kelly said a couple weeks ago that they were still going to let Harold be Harold in terms of letting him attack the opposing quarterback. Having an attacking inside linebacker is not a new concept, but it’s interesting to watch Perkins when he’s tasked with pass rushing from the position.
Here are a few clips.
Often when blitzing from the Will, Perkins can get a running back one-on-one, that’s a huge benefit of having him inside as opposed to outside where he’d be facing offensive tackles and possibly running backs or tight ends chipping. Last year it didn’t matter because he was so fast off the edge he seemingly got home at will.
You get a more advantageous situation blitzing him from the inside linebacker spot, but obviously aren’t using him as often in that way. Last year, he just wasn’t on the field for early down snaps at times.
We were told that third down packages were different for him and he works with the outside linebackers during practice to rush the passer, but he has a very different role on the inside.
Also noteworthy, he didn’t spy Jayden Daniels at all in the spring game. We saw him be extremely effective in that role last year against mobile QBs.
Run fill
I’d say he was fine. He made one really nice play before the actual scrimmage started where he closed well and made the tackle in the seam. I believe that was his only run-stopping tackle for the day, though.
He can get a bit antsy when the ball is snapped, ready to make a play, but remembering he needs to be patient. It’s clear, if he sees a lane to the ball, he can be explosive and really get downhill, but it takes linebackers years to develop their eyes in a way to where they can see the gaps well in the run game. Players talk about having their eyes right all the time and I’m sure that’s what Perkins is focused on right now.
Pass coverage
He didn’t play any man coverage, instead it was all zone for Perkins who was quickly back pedaling and surveying the field. We know how great of an athlete he is, but I’m not sure he looks really comfortable at this point compared to Omar Speights or Whit Weeks (who is excellent).
It’s going to be a process, but Perkins dropping in coverage can continue to round out his game. This is what the spring is for, but I prefer Harold attacking or spying the quarterback far more often than sitting in a soft zone.
Overall thoughts
Before spring I said that they would work Perkins at inside linebacker with the knowledge they could put him back on the edge in the fall whenever they wanted. This is still the case. Perkins has the athleticism to impact the game anywhere on the field and now he’s attempting to polish his game before year two.
Ultimately, Perkins will need to be attacking far more often than he did on Saturday. I really like Ovie Oghoufo and Bradyn Swinson and Saivion Jones as pass rushers, but they’re not impacting the game like Perkins. Of course, House can now move him around and blitz him from different spots, which is incredibly valuable, and that’s why I believe this is the right move overall, my only qualm is with him not attacking enough. He’s reacting, which isn’t his game at the moment.
With more time, he’ll get a lot better in his run fits and can figure out the pass coverage part of the game, but LSU starts its season with a massive game against Florida State in Florida. When push comes to shove, and LSU is in a tight game in the second half, how will House be using Perkins? It’s going to be a fascinating fall to see how Perkins is used in 2023.
The post Spring game analysis: How Harold Perkins played at inside linebacker appeared first on On3.
