BREAKING: LSU Adds Former Ohio State Cornerback JK Johnson

Tigers secure their fourth cornerback via the transfer portal, reel in high-upside player in Johnson.

Former Ohio State cornerback JK Johnson has committed to Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers after a successful visit to Death Valley this weekend. 

A 4-star recruit out of high school, the Bayou Bengals reel in another high-profile transfer.

The LSU connection? Tigers cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples. Steeples coached Johnson at DeSmet High School in Missouri a few years back with their relationship ultimately sealing the deal in this one.

Johnson also played with current LSU defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo at DeSmet. A former Top 100 player in the 2021 class, the redshirt freshman gives the Tigers some additional depth in their cornerbacks room.

Recording 20 tackles in 13 games for the Buckeyes this season, the youngster has significant room to grow. Adding a player with as much upside as Johnson is a massive win for this LSU program moving forward.

LSU has now added four cornerbacks via the transfer portal in Johnson, Syracuse transfer Darian "Duce" Chestnut, Texas A&M transfer Denver Harris and Southeastern Louisiana transfer Zy Alexander who both signed last month.

@LSUfootball @SteepDiesel @WingoMekhi @iRecruitDaBoot pic.twitter.com/AIUMMHOWMo

— JK Johnson (@darealxjk) January 8, 2023

LSU Has Prioritized 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 decision to enter the NFL Draft. The lockdown corner, who showcased All-SEC caliber play in his lone season with the Tigers, leaves this cornerbacks room in a tough spot after declaring,

The Bayou Bengals are 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 continue hitting 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.”