The Recent LSU Recruiting Strategy
Brian Kelly and the LSU staff’s cornerback recruiting strategy has been to hit the transfer portal hard in his first two years at the helm. Although roster deficiencies forced him to look for immediate help at the position, Kelly has stated that he’d like to utilize the recruiting strategy of building the roster through the high school ranks.
Suddenly, Alabama is looming. Unless the tide turns (forgive the adage) in the curious cases of Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut, not one transfer cornerback will be available in Tuscaloosa. This raises the question – what is the best way to return the LSU cornerback room to the standard set by former greats?
Transfer Success in 2022
LSU brought in what looked to be a healthy mixture of high school recruits and transfers in 2022. From the high school ranks, the Tigers reeled in Louisiana’s highest-ranked corner, Laterrance Welch, out of Acadiana High. Welch could develop into a solid player, but the jury is still out. The Tigers also signed Jaelyn Davis-Robinson from Waxahachie, TX, who transferred to Southern Methodist in the off-season.
The transfer portal was good to LSU in Kelly’s first year. The Tigers signed Mekhi Garner from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Jarrick Bernard-Converse from Oklahoma State. Both players established themselves early as starters, with Bernard-Converse showing versatility to also play safety. Garner signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. Bernard-Converse was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round and is currently on the active roster. LSU also signed Sevyn Banks, an Ohio State transfer. Banks suffered an injury early in the season and was not a major contributor. Surprisingly, he declared for the 2023 NFL draft.
Thanks to its transfer cornerbacks, LSU ranked a respectable 45th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game. That’s not a ranking that would strike fear into an opponent. But it’s not a glaring liability that the 2023 passing defense is. More importantly, the ranking would have been much worse with a starting tandem of Welch and Davis-Robinson. Welch has yet to gain consistent playing time in a bad secondary, and Davis-Robinson currently has 10 tackles on the year in a backup role at SMU. It’s fair to say that the transfer-centered recruiting approach was fruitful in year one for Kelly.
Swings and Misses in 2023
With Bernard-Converse and Garner leaving for the NFL after the 2022 season, LSU was right back at square one in terms of replenishing the cornerback room.
This time, the Tigers signed four transfers with the intent of getting players who were ready to contribute immediately but also young enough to play with the team for more than a year. Texas A&M transfer and five-star recruit Denver Harris was the headliner of the group. Harris was a healthy scratch against Army after limited action against Auburn. Kelly has not been definitive when it comes to his status. Frankly, Harris has not been the lockdown corner many expected him to be even when on the field. That doesn’t mean he can’t live up to his ranking with more experience and discipline.
Speaking of transfer corners that seem suspended but haven’t been formally announced as suspended, Duce Chestnut transferred to LSU after an All-Conference season at Syracuse. Chestnut has missed the last four games for undisclosed reasons.
Southeastern transfer Zy Alexander has been the best acquisition LSU made at corner by far, starting every game this year. Unfortunately, it looks like he will likely miss the Alabama game with an injury. Kelly’s prognosis wasn’t promising, as he only stated Alexander would, “Miss some time.” LSU also signed JK Johnson, another Ohio State transfer who has had bad injury luck. Johnson has not and will not play this year due to a leg injury.
So far in 2023, Alexander has been the most impactful transfer player. Injuries are unpredictable, but it appears that the Tigers hit on 25% of their transfer corners in this class. Although the 25-commitment class cap is obsolete, it’s not ideal for LSU to have to sign 12 cornerbacks per year to field an adequate group. The supposed advantage of gaining a more prepared player does not exist if he’s not available. The recent results on the field could cause one to question the current recruiting strategy.
The Tigers signed Ashton Stamps, Jeremiah Hughes, and Javien Toviano out of high school in 2023. The staff was high on Stamps in the preseason, and that fact has remained evident by the amount of snaps he’s earned. Stamps is apparently healthy again. His return to health couldn’t have come at a better time, considering the absence of Alexander.
Moving Forward
LSU has four high school cornerbacks committed to the class of 2024. It’s clear that Kelly does not see the transfer route as a sustainable model for success. LSU’s recruiting strategy in the secondary is shifting to focus more on high school recruits. Developing high school recruits allows coaches to establish expectations early in players’ careers, spending more time teaching and less energy punishing.
There’s never a situation in which the transfer portal should be completely avoided. Don’t be a Clemson. It still makes sense to use the portal to supplement rosters where needed, but LSU’s 2023 class has shown the importance of extensively vetting the transfers. It’s not wise to allow the desperation of meeting a need to outweigh the red flags of a bad fit.
