Prospect Profile: Ole Miss Commitment Suntarine Perkins
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One of the Magnolia State’s top prospects already pledged his allegiance to the Ole Miss Rebels and Head Coach Lane Kiffin. This do-it-all performer has the physical attributes and necessary football acumen to play several positions in college.
What will Kiffin and the Rebels decide to do with this talented player?
Suntarine Perkins
Size: 6’3”, 210-pounds
Positions: Outside Linebacker/Safety/Wide Receiver
High School: Raleigh (Miss.) High School
Recruitment
Perkins selected Ole Miss in November of 2021 over offers from numerous programs. His growing list of offers includes several prominent programs including teams like Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Miami, LSU, Oregon, Indiana and Texas A&M. He recently visited Alabama and Ole Miss.
Frame
Long arms represent the first area to note. He’s also long at the hip. Perkins’ muscle mass is lean and there’s plenty of room for additional good weight. He can carry 220 pounds with no issues.
Athleticism
Perkins is a long-strider. He’s not a player that’s at top speed after one or two steps but does have really good open-field speed. What he also does well in conjunction with his length, however, is change direction. Most players with long legs like him cannot move laterally like Perkins. He’s also quite flexible and makes quick movements in tight quarters. Another important attribute would be power.
Whether running the football, catching a pass or driving downhill to tackle an opposing running back, Perkins showed on film that he’s very powerful. His natural strength will aid him no matter what position(s) he plays in Oxford. Speaking of that, Perkins was asked what he’s expected to play.
“Outside linebacker,” Perkins replied. There’s still more to the story.
“Well, they have said something about me playing some wide receiver too.”
Perkins’ comments lead into the big question: where does he end up playing for the Rebels?
Position Flexibility
Okay, he’s going to play outside linebacker. Is that all?
This is where the fun begins. In today’s college football world, offenses hold the advantage as skill players move around. To counter, defenses need players like Perkins that can also move into different positions, sometimes right before the snap of the football, and adjust. Perkins plays safety for Raleigh High School, and he’s certainly capable of that for Ole Miss as well despite their plans to move him to outside linebacker.
Moving into the slot and being a hybrid linebacker is also where he’s likely to be if defense is his calling. It simply depends on the opponent’s alignment. Against a five wide receiver set, Perkins is a great candidate to play in space and still be a factor in the run game.
Lining up against a slot receiver on one play and then taking on a 250-pound tight end during the next, while in the slot, is what a hybrid linebacker must do. Perkins is one of the rare athletes capable of handling either responsibility. Offense is still an option, too, as he mentioned above.
He’s mostly a running back in a Wing-T offense right now, but he’s also shown the ability to catch the football and do so with natural hands. His big frame would be intriguing in Kiffin’s offensive scheme. Running back cannot be completely ruled out either.
No matter which position Perkins ends up playing for the Rebels, he’s gifted. There’s a reason that so many programs decided to extend a scholarship offer. Time will tell which positions he ends up playing.