Brian Kelly landed his first five-star prospect as head coach at LSU on Wednesday, when linebacker Harold Perkins committed to the Tigers.
Perkins is the No. 4 prospect overall and only recently decommitted from Texas A&M, after committing to the Aggies in the beginning of January. He is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound recruit out of Cypress Park High School in Cypress, Texas.
Perkins is the top outside linebacker in the class, and had a list of LSU, Florida and Texas A&M before choosing the Tigers.
Kelly and his staff had Perkins on campus before signing day, and having the last visit might have paid off. It was a mystery as to where Perkins would sign on Wednesday, as he wasn’t tipping his hand to anyone and it was believed that all three schools had a shot.
Perkins’ uncle, Alvin Walton, told ESPN on Wednesday morning that Perkins had not even told anyone in the family where he would sign.
Perkins and his family are originally from Louisiana but moved to Texas after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. His mother, Bertha, was interested in having her son stay closer to home in Texas, but after his visit to LSU, she was comfortable with him going back to their home state.
With Perkins in the class, LSU now has two five-star commitments; offensive lineman Will Campbell committed before Kelly was hired. Campbell is the No. 13 recruit overall, a 6-foot-6, 275-pound tackle from Monroe, Louisiana.
The Tigers also have ESPN 300 quarterback Walker Howard, whom Kelly tried to flip to Notre Dame before he was hired at LSU. Howard is the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the class and the No. 41 prospect overall.
Kelly and his staff have also utilized the transfer portal in addition to high school prospects to fill needs. LSU has landed transfer commitments from Arkansas corner Greg Brooks Jr., Florida International offensive lineman >Miles Frazier, Missouri defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo and a handful of others the coaches are hoping will make an immediate impact.