LSU’s Harold Perkins Jr. out for season after suffering knee injury vs. UCLA

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. will miss the remainder of the 2024 season after he suffered a knee injury during the team’s win over UCLA.

Tigers head coach Brian Kelly said Perkins suffered a torn ACL. Perkins was expected to declare for the NFL Draft after the season.

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LSU head coach Brian Kelly, right, pats linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (7) as he is helped off the field after being injured in the second half of an NCAA college football game against UCLA in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

“Certainly an injury that we feel terrible about, especially for Harold and the work that he’s done,” Kelly said. “We’ll have somebody else step up. … These are difficult, but we’ve got really good players that can come in.”

Perkins went down in the first quarter when he was trying to make a tackle against the Bruins. He only had 1.5 tackles for a loss through the first four games of the season.

He was a preseason AP All-America selection after he had 5.5 sacks and 75 total tackles in his sophomore season with LSU. In his freshman season, Perkins had 72 total tackles and 7.5 sacks.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly greets linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (7) before an NCAA college football game against UCLA in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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Sophomore Whit Weeks is in the depth chart behind Perkins and will likely get called upon to step up next. West Weeks and JK Johnson are also on the Tigers’ depth chart.

LSU will play against South Alabama on Saturday before the thick of the SEC schedule really gets into the thick of it.

Sep 7, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Nicholls State Colonels quarterback Pat McQuaide (7) rolls out of the pocket against LSU Tigers linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (7) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)

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The Tigers already beat South Carolina earlier this month. LSU’s lone loss came against USC in the first game of the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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