We’ve seen a lot of players fail to live up to expectations at their new schools in the transfer portal era. LSU cornerback [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag] is not one of these cases.
Garner made a name for himself at Louisiana under former coach Billy Napier, and he was one of the top available players in the transfer portal this offseason. Even with high expectations coming in, he’s exceeded pretty much all of them.
He’s developed into arguably LSU’s best defensive back and one of the SEC’s top corners this fall. The fifth-year junior could be playing his way into a high draft position next spring.
Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy had high praise for Garner on Twitter, and Nagy and On3’s Matt Zenitz listed him among players who are gaining significant draft buzz as the season progresses.
The @seniorbowl is looking live at @LSUfootball vs. @OleMissFB. Louisiana transfer CB Mekhi Garner will be one of the biggest (6015v, 218 lbs) and longest (33” arms) corners in 2023 draft. Fits best for press-man teams. Great matchup today vs Mingo.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/p5tMUYk0zS
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 22, 2022
The secondary was one of the biggest areas of concern on the roster when coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] took the LSU job, and he had to do a lot of work in the portal to rebuild it. Garner has proven to be one of the most impactful additions, and he could find himself playing on Sundays after a breakout season in Baton Rouge.
[mm-video type=video id=01ggatf7trg4byxhdp73 playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ggatf7trg4byxhdp73/01ggatf7trg4byxhdp73-f0674f9f40ccc0bf4f8080ac67bab3f7.jpg]
[listicle id=59845]
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno