Ole Miss five-star linebacker Suntarine Perkins already turning heads on the field and in the media
OXFORD, Miss. — Perhaps no Ole Miss freshman arrived on campus this fall with more attention focused on him than 5-star linebacker Suntarine Perkins, the Raleigh, Mississippi native who was sought after by every major program in the country.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Perkins has been hard to miss on the practice field — he looks big and strong and ready to fit right in to SEC football.
On Wednesday, CBS Sports’ Josh Pate discussed Perkins on his “Late Kick with Josh Pate” show, heaping praise upon the Rebels’ young player.
“Folks who have observed practice over there say ‘yeah there’s a kid here — strange first name – Perkins I think is his last name, yeah he looks different than everyone else out there.’ I know he does,” Pate explained. “He did last year (while still in high school). He could’ve walked on campus as a high school senior last year and looked different.”
Josh Pate on Suntarine Perkins
His teammates agree with Pate.
“He’s is going to be a baller, man. I love his high energy and high motor. He’ll be a big baller for this defense for sure,” said Ole Miss linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste.
(Click here to see Josh Pate video on Suntarine Perkins.)
The two-way star in high school, who was ranked in the Top 15, overall, for the Class of 2023, ran for 2,078 yards and 32 touchdowns and made 92 tackles as a senior at Raleigh High.
Perkins, named an Under Armour All-American, was also selected to the Clarion-Ledger’s 2022 Dandy Dozen and was picked as Mr. Football for Mississippi’s 3A classification.
Oh, and in 2022 Perkins led Raleigh to its first state title.
While Perkins has a lot of learning to do, he has a legitimate chance to see the field early for the Rebels in new defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s defense.
“He’s going to be a great athlete and a great player. He’s going to be the next leader on this team. He’s flying around. He’ll just learn the scheme,” Ladarius Tennison noted.
Pate agrees.
“Suntarine Perkins. Just a friendly reminder, Alabama wanted this kid bad. ..He committed to Ole Miss and he’s going to stand out at Ole Miss and it’s only a matter of time.”
Josh Pate on Suntarine Perkins
How dominating was Perkins in high school? Consider this. Offensively, he carried the ball 32 times for 331 yards and four touchdowns in the state title game. Defensively, he tallied an interception to go with his six tackles.
Perkins, who was named the MVP of the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game where he notched 10 tackles and three tackles for loss, finished his high school career with over 5,000 all-purpose yards to go along with his 267 tackles and 10 sacks.
WATCH: Raleigh LB Suntarine Perkins (Ole Miss commit) was literally everywhere in the MS/AL All-Star Game, leading the 'Sip Boys with 10 total tackles. The closing speed is elite
(@suntarine/@Lane_Kiffin/@MacCorleone74/@RivalsNick) pic.twitter.com/6UNtLJwRuN
— Jeff Haeger (@TheJeffTakeWXXV) December 13, 2022
Suntarine Perkins is going to be fun to watch for the Rebels! Hotty Toddy!
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
