Harold Perkins’ season is over.

It remains to be seen whether his LSU career is over.

But the news that he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee against UCLA last Saturday in Tiger Stadium was the latest and most disappointing development in a career that has been sliding downhill for 2 seasons.

Perkins arrived in Baton Rouge with the expectation that he would become not only the Tigers’ latest great linebacker, but also their latest great defender regardless of position.

His dynamic speed and explosiveness were bound to make him a disruptive force in the backfield, at the line of scrimmage and in pass coverage. The native of New Orleans, who still calls the Crescent City his hometown even though his family relocated to the Houston area after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, became one of the most highly-regarded linebacker prospects in the country.

Things started out just fine for the 5-star recruit who was ranked as the nation’s No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings as the freshman All-American was named first-team All-SEC in 2022.

LSU’s media guide called Perkins “arguably the top true freshman defender in school history.”

Perkins’ sophomore season landed somewhere between the lofty/perhaps unrealistic expectations and the disappointing/still good results.

He led the team in tackles for loss for a second consecutive year with 13.0, which created 54 yards in losses. He finished with 75 tackles and 5.5 sacks and slipped to second-team All-SEC honors from the league coaches.

Perkins, who played running back and basketball in addition to being a linebacker in high school, demonstrated his athleticism when he scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in his first appearance on offense in the Tigers’ win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

But the performance of the defense as a whole was poor as head coach Brian Kelly and defensive coordinator Matt House had a difficult time figuring out precisely the optimum ways in which to utilize Perkins’ rare skills on a defense featuring few other playmakers who earned the attention of opposing offenses.

In the offseason, Kelly replaced House with Missouri defensive coordinator and former LSU assistant Blake Baker, Perkins added a few pounds and the Tigers were hopeful that Perkins would thrive as the centerpiece of a rejuvenated defense.

But what is hopeful in July doesn’t always become reality in September and beyond.

The defense has been susceptible to big plays just as it was for the entire 2023 season. Perkins was tied for 4th on the team with 17 tackles and had just 1.5 tackles for loss and no sacks before being injured.

The irony of Perkins’ injury is that it occurred as the defense was playing its best this season – and perhaps its best since Perkins’ freshman season – during a scoreless second half in a 34-17 victory against the Bruins in Tiger Stadium.

“Harold was gifted enough to play a receiver both as a linebacker and a nickel,” Kelly said. “We don’t have many of those guys hanging around.”

When Kelly was asked Monday if Perkins had played his last game at LSU, the coach rightfully said it was too early to speculate on that.

If Perkins has a successful rehabilitation from the injury his prospects for being a high-round pick in the NFL Draft next spring could be too tempting for him to pass up.

But if NFL teams are more cautious in treating him as a top-flight prospect in the wake of the injury, perhaps Perkins would be tempted to resume his career with the Tigers. Returning next season would be an opportunity to demonstrate that he once again is the player that opened the eyes of college recruiters and NFL scouts alike.

And that opportunity would also provide a chance to reshape the narrative on his LSU career, to author an ending that is more positive than the current latest chapter, focusing on what might yet be rather than what might have been.