Perkins Joins Campbell in No. 7

Harold Perkins has his third number.

On Thursday, LSU Football announced that the junior linebacker will share No. 7 with offensive tackle Will Campbell. While the tradition of passing down No. 18 began 20 years ago, the No. 7 lineage is just half as old. Standouts Tyrann Mathieu and Leonard Fournette wore it during their all-American careers in purple and gold.

The number is said to be awarded to LSU’s best “playmaker”.

In 2023, Campbell received the honor, wearing a patch on his No. 66 jersey. It is illegal for offensive linemen to wear single digit numbers. The two-year starter at offensive tackle wears seven during practice.

He’ll have company on Friday.

Perkins exploded onto the scene as a true freshman in 2022, tallying seven and a half sacks and heavily contributing to wins at Arkansas and against Alabama. He did all that wearing No. 40. He switched to No. 4 last season. The Houston product posted a solid sophomore year and is poised for a big season in new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s defense.