Former LSU Football Cornerback, Top-60 Prospect Reveals Transfer Destination

LSU defensive back JK Johnson will head to the Big 12, depart Baton Rouge after two seasons.

Courtesy of JK Johnson's Instagram.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers saw cornerback JK Johnson elect to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal this month after two seasons in Baton Rouge.

Johnson, who transferred to LSU from Ohio State in 2023, is a former Top-60 prospect out of high school and a consensus four-star recruit.

The prized defensive back struggled to carve out a role during his time with the Buckeyes prior to his time in Baton Rouge.

Once in Louisiana for the 2023 season, he was sidelined with a lower-leg injury that caused him to miss the entire year.

Fast forward to 2024 and Johnson played in 10 games where he totaled three tackles on the season.

Now, after a rollercoaster college career to this point, Johnson has found his next destination: The Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Johnson will take his talents to this Big 12 for the 2025 season after stints with the Ohio State Buckeyes and LSU Tigers.

Former LSU and Ohio State cornerback JK Johnson is expected to transfer to Oklahoma State, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @CBSSports/@247Sports.

Former top-50 overall recruit who ranked as the third-best cornerback prospect in the 2021 recruiting class.… pic.twitter.com/MT7nNUgBxv

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 21, 2024

He is one of 17 players to depart Baton Rouge this month, but despite the roster turnover Kelly believes in what the program is building down South.

“The standard is the standard here,” Kelly said after LSU’s Week 14 win over Oklahoma. “I didn’t come down here to go 8-4. I’m not happy about 8-4. Nobody in that room is happy about 8-4 but they’re happy about playing well after a 3-game losing streak and they bounced back.

“This game teaches you lessons about grit, toughness, perseverance and not giving up and letting go of the rope. They easily could have fractured, right? They stuck together and stayed committed and beat two really good football teams in this league. … The big picture is I’m excited about our future regardless what people seem to think.”

LSU has seen 17 members of the 2024 roster depart the program this offseason with Johnson one of the headliners:

The Departures (17):

- Rickie Collins: Quarterback (Syracuse)
- Landon Ibieta: Wide Receiver
- CJ Daniels: Wide Receiver (Miami)
- Dashawn Womack: EDGE (Ole Miss)
- Jordan Allen: Safety (Houston)
- Shelton Sampson: Wide Receiver
- Kylin Jackson: Defensive Back (TCU)
- Xavier Atkins: Linebacker (Auburn)
- Jyaire Brown: Cornerback
- Bernard Causey: Cornerback
- Nathan Dibert: Kicker (Eastern Michigan)
- De'Myrion Johnson: Defensive Tackle
- Jk Johnson: Cornerback
- Ka'Morreun Pimpton: Tight End (TCU)
- Jay'viar Suggs: Defensive Tackle
- Sage Ryan: Defensive Back (Ole Miss)
- AJ Swann: Quarterback

LSU is up to 13 additions via the NCAA Transfer Portal with a myriad of immediate impact players set to arrive in the Bayou State in the coming weeks.

The Additions on Offense (6):
- TE Bauer Sharp: Oklahoma
- WR Barion Brown: Kentucky
- QB Michael Van Buren: Mississippi State
- WR Destyn Hill: Florida State
- WR Nic Anderson: Oklahoma
- IOL Braelin Brown: Virginia Tech

The Additions on Defense (6):
- CB Ja'Keem Jackson: Florida
- EDGE Jimari Butler: Nebraska
- EDGE Jack Pyburn: Florida
- CB Mansoor Delane: Virginia Tech
- DL Sydir Mitchell: Texas
- EDGE Patrick Payton: Florida State

The Special Teams Additions (1):
Punter Grant Chadwick: Middle Tennessee

More LSU News:

The LSU Transfer Portal Update: Who's in? Who's out?

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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