LSU may have finally found a place for multi-talented Harold Perkins, Jr.

Quick answer: Just about anywhere and everywhere — but focusing mainly on middle linebacker.

That off-and-on experiment got mixed results inside last year, with Perkins suffering a drop-off in production as a sophomore from that mad-cap freshman season of his. Then, playing mostly on instinct like a guided but runaway missile, he was one of the Southeastern Conference’s most exciting defenders.

Kelly has no desire to reign that in.

But wherever Perkins lines up this season, he figures to be the centerpiece of a revamped defense that will have to be much improved if the Tigers are to sniff out any of their season goals.

“Excited to watch what he’s able to bring both at the inside and outside linebacker position,” head coach Brian Kelly said Monday at SEC Media Days in Dallas.

So it’s both?

The move to the inside really only lasted one game last year until Perkins was moved mostly to the outside. He still led the Tigers with 5.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, but wasn’t quite  the same disruptive force he’d been as a freshman.

Kelly said, only half jokingly, that if he had one thing to do over in handling Perkins last season, “We would have tied him down and made him eat more. We had an issue relative to his weight.”

It turned out it probably wasn’t fair to Perkins or the Tigers to try to play middle linebacker at 210 pounds.

“We didn’t think it really was in his best position to be inside,” Kelly said. “We’re still in the developmental stage with Harold.”

That development is now up over 220 pounds, Kelly said, “Physically strong enough to handle the rigors of inside and out.”

“I feel good about it,” said Perkins, one of three players Kelly brought to Dallas. “I love to move around.”

Kelly still thinks Perkins’ longterm NFL future is at inside linebacker.

It will be up to new defensive coordinator Blake Baker to maneuver Perkins around the defense to best utilize him this season. Baker is also Perkins’ position coach.

“I trust the coaches to put me in the right position to be successful,” said Perkins, one of three LSU players who accompanied Kelly to Dallas.

“The rest is on me. I trust in my abilities that God has blessed me with to go out and make a play.”

Baker, who came to LSU from Missouri, leads a totally new defensive staff after the Tigers cleaned house following last season’s disaster on that side of the ball.

“My first time meeting him,” Perkins said of Baker, “he came out to practice with cleats on … He’s wanting you to work, but he’s working too. He’s not just telling you what to do, he’s showing us how to do it.

“Coach Baker is a joy to have around the building. I’m excited about where this season is going to go.”