NEWS: Texas A&M Transfer Denver Harris Commits to LSU
LSU has secured a commitment from former Texas A&M cornerback Denver Harris. A 5-star recruit coming out of high school, LSU fills a position of need with Harris taking his talent to Baton Rouge.
As a freshman in College Station, Harris totaled 10 tackles in five games played. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
A key piece to this recruiting cycle has been to retool the secondary and that is precisely what this coaching staff has done with their 2023 recruiting class and will do in the portal this month. Harris, the first addition, is a big piece moving forward.
Harris was suspended for the second half of the regular season for Texas A&M, but Head Coach Brian Kelly did his due diligence before extending an offer.
After meetings between Harris and the coaching staff, it was clear this program believes in what Harris can offer both on and off the field.
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 entering the NFL Draft. The lockdown corner, who showcased All-SEC caliber play in his first season with the Tigers, leaves this cornerbacks room in a tough spot with only two scholarship corners on roster.
The Bayou Bengals would then be left with Sevyn Banks, Latterrance Welch 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.”
