By james art Suntarine Perkins is a bit of a hybrid player for the No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels, meaning he can play almost any position on the football field. Just look at his high school record.
Is Perkins more of a linebacker, edge rusher, or a mix of the two? In the end, it doesn’t really matter because he’s getting the job done in his second year at Ole Miss. Head coach Lane Kiffin recently heaped praise on his sophomore quarterback and how he’s developed as a player.
“I think Perkins did a great job,” Kiffin said Monday. “I think he played 80 snaps at LSU and covered punts and kickoffs and we didn’t have Princely [Umanmielen]. Which isn’t exactly what we want to do and why I think Princely would have made such a difference in this game is because Perkins is fresher in it as well.
“He did an amazing job. He’s just like he was in high school when we went and watched him play. He can play any game on offense and defense. It’s really amazing how it’s put together inside.”
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Perkins did play on both sides of the football when he prepped for Raleigh (Miss) High School, leading his team to a state championship in 2022 as a defensive back and running back. He was obviously assigned to the first of those two positions, but in the state title game his senior year, Perkins rushed for 331 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries.
The young linebacker showed flashes of excellence last season as a freshman, racking up 38 total tackles and 3.5 sacks on the year. Perhaps his most famous performance came in Ole Miss’ loss to Alabama in 2023, where he registered two sacks of Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe.
This year, however, Perkins really burst onto the scene. He already has 41 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, along with 8.5 sacks for a loss of 50 yards, and he’s coming off a game in which he earned SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week thanks to his effort against Oklahoma.
Perkins’ combination of speed and strength will be put to the test this weekend against a speedy quarterback in Tylon Green of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Ole Miss has yet to see a quarterback with Green’s ability to tackle this season, and Perkins (along with the rest of the Rebels’ front seven) will be critical in slowing down his big-play ability.
Saturday’s kickoff between Ole Miss and Arkansas is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.