LSU linebackers Harold Perkins, Omar Speights named to Butkus Award Watch List

BATON ROUGE – LSU linebackers Harold Perkins and Omar Speights are among 51 preseason candidates selected to the watch list for the Butkus Award.

The Butkus Award is presented annually to the top linebacker in college football. LSU is one of seven schools nationally with two players on the list as they are joined by Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State. Former Tiger Devin White won the Butkus Award in 2018.

Perkins, a freshman All-America and a first-team All-SEC selection last year, is one college football’s top playmakers on defense. As a rookie in 2022, the New Orleans native led the Tigers in tackles for loss (13.0) and sacks (7.5).

Perkins earned weekly SEC honors in three straight games – all LSU wins – a year ago. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week recognition following his six-tackle, two-quarterback hurry, one-sack performance in the win over Ole Miss.

Perkins followed that with back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in wins over Alabama and Arkansas. In the win over the Crimson Tide, Perkins had eight tackles, three quarterback hurries and a sack.

He had one of the best all-around games for a defender in school history in the win over Arkansas with eight tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. He was also named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his play against the Razorbacks.

In addition to his success on the field, Perkins earned SEC Academic Honor Roll status last season for his accomplishments in the classroom.

Speights joined the Tigers during the spring after starting for four years at Oregon State where he earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2022 and was a Freshman All-America in 2019.

Speights, a graduate transfer, comes to LSU with 308 career tackles to go along with 25.0 tackles for loss and five sacks.