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College football recruiting notebook: LB prospect Harold Perkins rising near top thanks to mom

Linebacker Harold Perkins, the 10th-ranked prospect in the Class of 2022, was displaced from New Orleans to Houston after Hurricane Katrina. ThreeStep

Harold Perkins hated living in Houston but understood his mother was trying to give him an opportunity to succeed.

Perkins was only 2 when his mother, Bertha Walton, moved them from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit. He doesn't remember much, but his mother will never forget lying on the floor of her sister's house, the storm rolling through and the walls shaking.

She remembers feeling as though the roof was going to blow off, and she remembers the family deciding to cross the street to a neighbor's house for more safety.

Her brother, who was a local police officer on duty, texted the family that if he didn't make it through the storm, they should know he loves them.