Brian Kelly explains why LSU football freshman phenom Harold Perkins is 'a throwback'

BATON ROUGE - LSU football linebacker Harold Perkins has become the Tigers' rising star on defense this season.

Perkins, who was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week following LSU's 32-31 overtime win over Alabama, had seven pressures while playing a season-high 67 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

At his weekly Monday press conference, coach Brian Kelly complimented the freshman's demeanor as "a throwback player."

"He's a bit of a throwback, and a throwback in this sense, 'just tell me what to do. I don't need all the other things. And I'll figure it out as I go,' " Kelly said. "It's kind of refreshing. He doesn't need to know all of the whys and I'm not saying we shouldn't give the whys to our guys and that's part of coaching today. You've got to explain a lot of things."

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Garrett Dellinger injury update

Kelly gave an injury update on starting left guard Garrett Dellinger. Dellinger injured his knee in Week 6 against Tennessee and has been out of the lineup ever since.

According to Kelly, Dellinger worked out on Sunday and "looked good."

"I think he's in a great position in that he can play this weekend," Kelly said.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football, Brian Kelly calls Harold Perkins 'a throwback' player