Sack King in Waiting: Suntarine Perkins Ready to Lead Ole Miss Defense
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football’s Suntarine Perkins is a valuable chess piece for defensive coordinator Pete Golding, and the opposing quarterback could be seen as the king. Come Saturday in the Rebels’ season-opener against Georgia State, you can bet Mississippi native Perkins will do whatever he can to sack the king.
Last season, the Raleigh, Miss. native tied for the team-lead with 10.5 sacks in 2024, good enough for the second most in the SEC.
Listed as a linebacker, Perkins plays from the edge, and although he may not be the biggest at the position, he is one of the most dangerous.
Focused on the Game Plan in 2025
Several players from the 2024 roster have left the defensive front and are now playing in the NFL, and Perkins is one of the most experienced players returning. Heading into his third season, he knows the system very well and has excelled under Pete Golding’s guidance.
Earlier this week, Perkins was asked what he feels is the most significant aspect of his game that has improved heading into the 2025 season.
“I feel coming off the ball more,” Perkins revealed.
“Being able to know what the tackle is going to do. Just knowing my game plan going up against them. I feel like my pass game got better this year.“
Suntarine Perkins on what’s improved in his game
Although Perkins has a chance to stay for another year after this upcoming one, if Perkins produces another excellent season in 2025, one could easily see him as a first-round prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. The kid from Raleigh is focused on 2025 and helping his team reach its goals, as well as his individual ones.
One of those individual goals is breaking the individual season sack total. Sam Williams holds the team record with 12.5 sacks back during the 2021 season. Last season, Perkins shared the sack lead with Princely Umanmielen at 10.5 each. Perkins would love to break that.
“Yes sir. Definitely,” Perkins answered Tuesday when asked if he had thought about that.
Excited about the 2025 defense
As mentioned, the Rebels lost a significant amount of experience on the defensive front, accounting for over 60% of the sacks from 2024. Gone are names like Walter Nolen, JJ Pegues, Jared Ivey and Princely Umanmielen, but they have left their legacy in Perkins, as he absorbed everything he could from them.
“I just learned from those guys last year. JJ (Pegues) and (Jared Ivey) and them,” Perkins said. “Learned to just be here for my team.”
Perkins, however, is excited about the current crop of young defensive talent on the team this year. Asked about what to expect from the 2025 defense, he sees a group that is athletic and hungry.
“I feel we are more athletic, we got a lot of young guys, and I feel like they come in every day, they’re ready to work, and when we all have that same energy, everybody’s got the same goal. I feel everybody is hungry for the same thing.“
Suntarine Perkins
The first goal is beating Georgia State in game one on August 30 in front of a packed Vaught-Hemingway crowd. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
Jordan Merritt
Jordan is a freelance writer who covers sports, games, and more. A United Kingdom native, he covers everything Ole Miss for The Rebel Walk. He has written for several publications, including Athlon Sports, On SI, Fansided, and others. Away from writing, he loves spending time with his family and watching films and TV series.
