Notebook: Brian Kelly Talks Harold Perkins' Role, New Return Specialists
Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are just five days away from their highly anticipated season opener against Florida State in Orlando.
The Top 10 matchup will feature a handful of the top players in college football headlined by signal-callers Jayden Daniels and Jordan Travis.
For the Tigers, this program is feeling confident in the weapons it has with a few newcomers emerging.
Kelly addressed the media on Monday with a few key takeaways:
Harold Perkins’ Role
Perkins has mainly worked at inside linebacker this offseason as defensive coordinator Matt House and his staff get their star acclimated to his ideal position. Last season, Perkins worked as a “pass rush specialist” with LSU now focused on a more niche role.
Kelly detailed that despite Perkins mainly taking on inside linebacker duties, opponents will have to keep an eye on Perkins at all times and “account for him” every single play. They will continue maximizing his skill set.
“We’re going to be in really good shape internally. Maason just gives you a dominating presence, but we feel good about the middle of our defense. Harold is going to be able to impact the game with everything we’re going to do with him,” Kelly said on Monday. “He’s going to be moving around. He’s not just going to be at inside linebacker. You’re going to have to find him and you’re going to have to account for him.”
What Kelly Said:
Return Specialists: Aaron Anderson x Kaleb Jackson
LSU will utilize two Louisiana natives as the return specialists this season in Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson and true freshman Kaleb Jackson. Anderson will serve as the on-ball returner with Jackson taking on off-ball duties.
Along with being the kick returner, Anderson will also handle punt return duties as well for the Tigers. When Kelly and LSU went out and secured Anderson via the NCAA Transfer Portal, it was understood the talent he attained as a return man, and now entering his first season in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana native looks to provide a boost in an area of concern.
“Now, they've got to field the ball,” Kelly said. “They've got to be able to do the little things the right way. But from a special teams standpoint, that's what we were looking for. Our miscues last year were evident. We didn't field the ball very well.”
Sage Ryan Usage
Third-year Tiger Sage Ryan has been used as a Swiss Army Knife this offseason while working at both nickel and cornerback. Towards the backend of camp, Ryan worked as a boundary cornerback opposite of Zy Alexander with the first team and it carried into the Fall Camp scrimmage.
The Tigers will utilize Ryan in a variety of ways given his consistency as a tackler and Kelly has been impressed with his skill set so far. Ryan has improved in several ways and this LSU defense understands he must be on the field at all times as this secondary gets in a rhythm.
“He’s been cross trained, a lot of the technical work has been at corner because he knows the nickel position really well. He’s one of our fastest players, typically in the high 21 mph range and topped out at 22 mph,” Kelly said. “He can run, he’s smart but the thing that has separated him is his ability to tackle in space. He’s gonna play to the field and gives us some great flexibility.”
