State of the LSU Cornerback Room, Major Transfer Portal Need
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The Tigers will have to reconstruct their cornerback room once again after the departures of key pieces from their secondary.
With Mekhi Garner and Jay Ward both declaring for the NFL Draft, and Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Colby Richardson out of eligibility, the transfer portal will be LSU’s best friend this month.
It’s the same story as last offseason. After losing a number of guys to both the portal and draft, Brian Kelly did his own work on the recruiting trail to bring in seasoned veterans to contribute to a depleted position group.
Looking ahead to this time around, he’ll have to do it all over again.
We dove into the state of this unit and where things stand:
Mekhi Garner - Declared for the 2023 NFL Draft
LSU defensive back Mekhi Garner has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft and will play in the East-West Shrine Bowl as he prepares for his professional journey.
The Louisiana transfer tallied 43 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups on the season after starting all 13 games in 2022 for LSU.
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound cornerback attains tremendous size and strength for a defensive back, using his physical traits to his advantage once in the SEC.
Jay Ward - Declared for the 2023 NFL Draft
LSU defensive back Jay Ward has officially declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. Ward became a versatile piece to the Tigers’ secondary this season, playing safety, cornerback and filling the nickel slot.
Ward finishes his LSU career with 156 tackles, 102 solo tackles, 17 pass break ups, two forced fumbles and six interceptions. The four-year contributor earned time on the 2019 national title team while becoming an essential piece to this squad going forward.
Jarrick Bernard-Converse - Decision Awaits
The Tigers reeled in a myriad of talented transfers during head coach Brian Kelly’s first offseason at the helm of LSU football, but former Oklahoma State cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse sat atop the list of immediate impact players for this group.
Losing four corners who made starts last season in Derek Stingley Jr., Elias Ricks, Dwight McGlothern and Cordale Flott, there’s a huge void to fill in the secondary. Insert Bernard-Converse.
His versatility is a piece of his game that provided the Tigers with some flexibility in coverage. An impressive boundary cornerback, Bernard also had the ability to play in the slot and box.
Looking Ahead to the Future
With Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Colby Richardson out of eligibility, it puts this unit in a bind going forward. Now add Garner, a player who showcased All-SEC caliber play in his first season with the Tigers, off to the NFL, this cornerbacks room is in a tough spot heading into the offseason.
The Bayou Bengals are now 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.”
