SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 15, 2024

Harold Perkins

LSU Tigers

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by student-athlete Harold Perkins of LSU.

Q. Your coach said you'd be playing between the tackles and using other positions based on the situation. How do you feel about this role?

HAROLD PERKINS: I feel good about it. I'm confident in my coaches and my teammates putting me in the right position to be successful and make plays. I'm confident. I love to move.

Q. Being so dominant in the linebacker position, how much have you walked Oklahoma's Danny Stutsman and do you see any similarities between your and his game?

HAROLD PERKINS: Who is that?

Q. Oklahoma's linebacker, Danny Stutsman.

HAROLD PERKINS: To be honest, I don't really watch anybody else. I focus on myself and my teammates and just focus on getting better.

Q. What has new defensive coordinator Blake Baker brought to the team so far?

HAROLD PERKINS: I'd probably just say a loving working environment. Coach Baker is a joy to have around the building. He's the DC, but obviously he's my coach. He's my position coach. So my first time meeting him, he came out to practice with some cleats on. It made me laugh a little bit because it speaks to the testament of what he's saying. He comes out here wanting you to work, but obviously he's working, too. He's not just telling you what to do, he's showing us how to do it. That's one thing I love about him.

Q. What's it going to take for you to be successful this year? What does success look like to you, and I guess in the physicality of playing inside, how can you ensure that you have the most success?

HAROLD PERKINS: Just knowing that everything is not going to be perfect, you know what I'm saying? Nothing is going to play or pan out the way you want it to. Just be ready for adversity, you know what I'm saying? Just be ready to deal with it and not move from it.

Q. Curious your thoughts on there's going to be now iPads and video replay available on the sideline. How beneficial do you think that's going to be for you guys this upcoming season?

HAROLD PERKINS: I think that's a magnificent idea to come to the sideline and see yourself making the play or just the mistake, because why wait until tomorrow to see what I messed up on when I can go to the sideline and fix the mistake or the problem right then and there instead of waiting. So I think that'll be a great addition to the game to all college athletes.

Q. Going back to your recruitment and going to LSU, how difficult of a decision was that, flipping from A&M to LSU?

HAROLD PERKINS: It was a difficult decision. It was a moment that I feel that I have no regrets on, but it was, for sure, a difficult decision.

Q. Now that you're in Baton Rouge, what is it like playing against A&M and what's that game dynamic like for you?

HAROLD PERKINS: It's fine. Obviously the guys on that team and the coaches and stuff, we have a little bit of history. I know them, they know me. It's not like a surprise, you know what I'm saying? It's going to be a fun game when we play them.

Q. You talked a little bit about Blake Baker and busting out the cleats. Have you ever had a coach do that? What have you learned from him and what's going through your mind as you see him there with the cleats on?

HAROLD PERKINS: To answer your question, no, I never had a coach come out and wear cleats and show me how it's done, quote/unquote. But great guy. Great guy. He's a leader. He just wants the best for his players and his team. He knows how to have fun, but when it's time to work, no jokes, it's time to work.

Q. I'm not sure if you had a chance to really interact with him much since he's in a different position group, but freshman Gabriel Reliford on the defensive line, what do you expect from him as he's contributed in the spring and what do you want him to contribute there in the fall?

HAROLD PERKINS: Gabe is someone that I have been watching quietly, you know what I'm saying? He's humble. He put in the work every day. He comes in there every day. He busts his tail to be the best. He puts in the work. He reminds me of myself, just coming in, not trying to step on anybody's toes. I just want to be the best. I'm here to take somebody's spot. That's why he reminds me of myself a little bit. Just quiet, trying to put in the work and just be great.

Q. You obviously went to high school in Texas. Offered by Texas and Oklahoma. Could you talk about what those two schools are going to bring to this conference?

HAROLD PERKINS: I think Texas and Oklahoma is a great addition to the SEC. I obviously feel, some of you might feel the same, but the SEC brand of football that you can play at the college level and just adding those two great universities to the SEC can't help nothing but the SEC go up and the school go up. I think it's a great addition.

Q. We had Coach Kelly in here and he talked about moving you from the outside to the inside. He thought maybe on the outside teams could scheme to play away from your side of the ball. That's going to be tougher with you in the middle. Could you just talk about the transition that is for you to move from the outside to the inside and what are you looking for this season?

HAROLD PERKINS: The transition has been wonderful. Like I said previously, I trust the coaches to put me in the right position to be successful. The rest is on me. I trust in my abilities and my quality that God has blessed me with to go out and make a play. So I'm excited to where this year is going to go.

Q. Piggybacking off the OU-Texas question, could you talk about Brent Venables and his coaching style and the kind of coach he is at Oklahoma?

HAROLD PERKINS: To be honest with you, I don't know too much about him. But I'm pretty sure he's a great guy. Oklahoma defense, I feel, should be good this year. Obviously there's no sleepers in the SEC. I think they'll be a good team.

Q. He's not your position coach, but Kerry Cooks, former Oklahoma assistant. Could you talk about Coach Cooks?

HAROLD PERKINS: Coach Cooks is a great guy. Obviously last year he was our safety coach, and he was in the room with a guy, with one of my roommates, Major Burns, and Coach Cooks is a great guy. Love him and want the best for him.

Q. The defensive front, a lot of concern at Baton Rouge, having to add some new players in there. What are you seeing in the tackles, specifically, that gives you a lot of hope for the line this year?

HAROLD PERKINS: We're big up front. That's something I love. They're aggressive. They're not passive. We took a hit losing Mason; he's my brother, too.

I'm excited for the guys that we've got in there because they're big, you know what I'm saying? And you add the addition of Coach Bo, you know what they can do. I don't have to speak on Coach Bo. You all know his work.