LSU Cornerback Raydarious Jones Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
LSU cornerback Raydarious Jones has entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal. Jones was suspended the entire 2022 season due to academics.
In his first three seasons with the Tigers, Jones appeared in games sparingly for LSU while making zero starts.
In his true freshman campaign on the 2019 national championship squad, the former 4-star recruit saw playing time in four games, but recorded zero stats.
The following season, he appeared in nine games as a sophomore, recording four tackles in both the Alabama and Ole Miss games.
Jones will now look for a fresh start after sitting out the entire 2022 season; making LSU’s cornerback room that much thinner.
LSU Will Prioritize Cornerback in Transfer Portal:
With Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Colby Richardson out of eligibility, it puts this unit in a bind going forward. Another key factor is Mekhi Garner’s NFL Draft decision. The lockdown corner, who showcased All-SEC caliber play in his first season with the Tigers, would leave this cornerbacks room in a tough spot if he decides to enter the draft.
The Bayou Bengals would then be left with Sevyn Banks, Latterrance Welch, Jaelyn Davis-Robinson and the incoming freshmen. Banks, who has battled the injury bug all season, would then be the only corner on this roster with significant experience.
It was always known the Tigers would need to attack the transfer portal when it came to the secondary this offseason. With the portal open, expect LSU to hit this position group with force as they look to rebuild a room that, at times, showed consistency.
Brian Kelly’s Transfer Portal Message:
“They have got to be the right fit first,” Kelly said. “They have to recognize the value of an education from LSU. They have to have the right traits. We are not just open for business. We’re not just putting a sign up saying, hey, we are going to take whoever. They have to be the right fit. I prefer that they are from the state of Louisiana if we can find them. And then we are going to address needs based upon how that freshman class marries into it by the particular needs by position class.
“So we are not going to overload a particular position group. In other words, if we have got three or four wide receivers that are freshmen coming in, you may not see a heavy influence in the portal in that position.
“We are going to develop based upon our freshman class, too. So we are doing this at the same time, and also allowing our program to be younger, too. We want to bring both of these along. We don’t always want to be a turn-it-over program where we are bringing in transfers and turning the program over.”
