LSU Football: State of the Tigers Cornerback Room

LSU lacking depth in the secondary, down all four transfer cornerbacks.

All eyes will be on the LSU cornerbacks over the next week and a half as the Tigers prepare for their showdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Nov. 4. 

With a bye week to get healthy and work the youngsters into the rotation, the open date couldn’t have come at a better time for Brian Kelly’s program, but there remains uncertainty surrounding the secondary.

It’s been the talk of the town all season. Who will be available in the cornerback room? Which rotation will the Tigers go to?

Here’s the current state of the LSU cornerback room:

Injured: Zy Alexander and JK Johnson

The Tigers saw their No. 1 cornerback in Zy Alexander exit Saturday’s contest against Army with an ankle injury. The fluke incident occurred on the final play of the first half where Alexander was seen receiving help off of the field. The Southeastern Louisiana transfer didn’t return for the rest of the game.

What’s Alexander’s current status? Kelly addressed the media on Tuesday where he stated that his top cornerback will “miss some time” and isn’t practicing at the moment.

For JK Johnson, the Ohio State transfer remains out for the foreseeable future with a lower leg injury suffered during Fall Camp.

Inactive: Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut

LSU brought in four transfers during the offseason: Alexander, Johnson, Harris and Chestnut. All four are now either inactive or injured.

For Harris, it’s been a week-by-week rollercoaster regarding his status. Will he be available or will he be inactive? On Saturday against Army, the Texas A&M transfer wasn’t on the sidelines with the program and is currently not practicing with the team. Kelly stated Harris “remains on scholarship” but isn’t with the team at the moment.

When it comes to Syracuse transfer Duce Chestnut, he remains away from the LSU program as well and is not practicing with the team. Per Kelly, Chestnut “remains on scholarship” but “is not practicing” at the moment. Chestnut has been away from the team for weeks and his status moving forward is up in the air.

“All I can tell you is they’re on scholarship, they’re enrolled in school but right now they’re not participating," Kelly said. "They’re still in the program, they’re still in good standing but not able to play right now. We’ll see what happens down the road."

#LSU “Availability” Report:

- Zy Alexander will “miss some time” and is not practicing at the moment.

- Mekhi Wingo will “miss some time” and is not practicing.

-Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut are “inactive” but remain on scholarship. They are not practicing with the program. pic.twitter.com/vmNBoZIY2d

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) October 24, 2023

Available: Ashton Stamps, Jeremiah Hughes, Javien Toviano Laterrance Welch and Sage Ryan

True freshman Ashton Stamps burst on the scene during Fall Camp and stood out each day through August practice. The coaching staff has been clear about easing him into the rotation, but now with a lack of depth, he’ll be thrust into the fold in a big way. A player who has been nursing a minor injury, Kelly says he’s available and back in practice.

Sage Ryan, who’s been utilized as a Swiss Army Knife for the Tigers in the secondary, is the “most experienced” cornerback in this room. He’s played all over the place for LSU from corner to nickel to safety. Now, he’ll serve as LSU’s No. 1 cornerback until Alexander gets healthy again.

The other true freshman: Jeremiah Hughes. The first-year Tiger was thrown in the fire against Army once Alexander went down with an ankle injury. Despite facing an inferior opponent in the Black Knights, Hughes handled business and made the most of his reps. He’ll likely take on a major role over the next few weeks in this cornerback room.

“We’re young in some areas and we’re trying to develop depth. There’s some players that are gonna get an opportunity to compete that have not played a lot of football so there’s a lot of work over these next couple of days that our team needs,” Kelly said. 

Lastly, Laterrance Welch is the final available player in this room. The sophomore has played sparingly this season after a big-time offseason. Now, he’ll likely need to make an impact for this program for the foreseeable future.

Kelly on his youngsters... “We feel like all of them are playing championship football and it’s our job to get them ready. They’ve been on campus and know what our expectations and standards are. It’s not like we’re breaking the glass here and rolling them out for the first time. They’ve observed, they’ve been traveling, they know what it’s like. We feel like they’re ready to play and it’s always about opportunity. These guys given the opportunity now are prepared and ready to play.”

LSU is in a vulnerable spot in the cornerback room with Alexander battling an ankle injury. The No. 1 corner’s status will be updated next week as the Bayou Bengals continue game preparation for the Crimson Tide on Nov. 4