Ronnie

Perkins

Perkins (6'2/253) also recorded 25 bench reps, a 32" vertical jump and a 4.69 20-yard shuttle run. His 4.71 40-yard dash would have ranked as the fifth fastest defensive lineman time at the 2020 NFL Combine and backs up the impressive burst he shows on tape. His vertical and bench performances were right where they needed to be, but his shuttle time is considered a below average mark. He earned an overall PFF defensive grade of 90.5 which is elite, as Perkins fits the mold of a disruptive edge defender that NFL teams covet. The former four-star recruit is a top-100 caliber prospect and is rising up draft boards with ESPN’s Mel Kiper recently saying he sees Perkins as a second round talent.

Perkins (6'3/247) played in only six games this season, missing time due to a suspension. When he was in the lineup Oklahoma’s defense was a changed unit, as the junior recorded 23 tackles, 16 solo, 10.5 TFL, 19 hurries and 5.5 sacks. He earned an overall PFF defensive grade of 90.5 which is elite, as Perkins fits the mold of a disruptive edge defender that NFL teams covet. The former four-star recruit is a top-100 caliber prospect and should come off the board in the third-round.

Stevenson (6'0/246) and Perkins (6'3/247) were two of the three players suspended ahead of the Sooners’ Peach Bowl loss to LSU for what was reported to be failed drug tests, with WR Trejan Bridges being the other. While Bridges did not make the trip to Lubbock the other two have, and Stevenson and Perkins will provide needed boosts to their respective position groups. How much they’ll play Saturday night remains to be seen, but the fact that they have been practicing should help from a rust standpoint.

Riley told reporters on Monday that the process of getting the trio reinstated is “not as clear cut as you guys think it is or I thought it was going to be.” It was reported in December that Stevenson, Bridges and Perkins failed NCAA-administered drug tests, and the penalty for that tends to be more severe than failing a test administered by the school. As a result, all that Oklahoma can do is wait with the hope that the trio will be cleared sooner rather than later.

Perkins (6'3/247) has yet to play in a game this season due to the suspension, which was handed down just before Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff loss to LSU last season. The junior defensive end isn’t expected to see any action in the Sooners’ game at Iowa State, but he did travel with the team. At worst, Perkins should be available for next weekend’s showdown with rival Texas.

Perkins was initially suspended about a week ago alongside teammates RB Rhamondre Stevenson and WR Trejan Bridges. The reason for the suspension went unconfirmed by Riley, so it seems possible Perkins may end up playing in the end, but Riley made it clear that won’t be the case.

The reason for the suspension has yet to be announced. This is a big loss for the Sooners, as Perkins leads Oklahoma in sacks with six and picked up 38 additional tackles on the season. He joins RB Rhamondre Stevenson and WR Trejan Bridges as players that will not play against the Tigers in the semifinal.

As Kenyon notes, most of the stars on Oklahoma have been on offense for the Sooners. As he also notes, Perkins has a chance to be one of the rare standouts on defense after his strong freshman campaign. He had five sacks -- eight total tackles for loss -- and 37 tackles. “An offseason of development combined with a promising senior-heavy rotation should give Perkins an opportunity to grab the spotlight,” Kenyon writes. We can see it.

Rivals recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt was taking the temperature of recruits at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge when it came to Sooners HC Bob Stoops’ retirement last week. Said temperature would appear to be about the same as before. Wrote Helmholdt, “Although the college football world was shocked by Stoops’ retirement, based on the reaction of the Sooners’ targets in Indianapolis this past weekend, it seems recruiting will continue without a hitch.” This is all good news for Oklahoma in the short term. The larger impact of HC Lincoln Riley in recruiting probably won’t be seen one way or another until we are closer to signing day in December. In a slightly different situation at LSU, Ed Orgeron was able to keep the recruiting ship moving in the right direction after Les Miles was fired last autumn, but was unable to secure some of the in-state signatures which were assumed as LSU locks with Miles at the helm.

“It’s a great program and they are doing a lot of good rebuilding,” Perkins said. While the 6-foot-4, 260-pounder has now other officials scheduled at this juncture, he is interested in taking his allotment or close to it before he signs with his program of choice. Oklahoma, USC and Michigan are in the mix along with the Longhorns. Rivals ranks Perkins as the No. 243 overall prospect in the 2018 class.