Tag: Damarius Mcghee

LSU State of the Program: Secondary looks to build a foundation

Here’s what to expect from LSU’s secondary this year and moving forward.

Thinking about the lead-up to last season, I think I wrote more about LSU’s new-look secondary than anything else. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] rebuilding the room from scratch was a major storyline.

A year later, I’m getting deja vu. LSU, once again, has taken to the portal to fill out the secondary.

Several of last year’s additions were on the older side, approaching the end of their eligibility or in the case of [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag], ready to declare for the draft.

[autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag] are gone, too.

A few younger players choose to exit through the portal. [autotag]Raydarious Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Jaelyn Davis-Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Damarius McGhee[/autotag] will all be playing elsewhere.

There’s no cause for concern yet with some of the portal’s best corners set to wear purple and gold. Here’s what the group looks like in 2023 and beyond.

Former LSU cornerback Damarius McGhee commits to Kansas

The former four-star recruit in the 2021 class is heading to the Big 12.

Former Tigers cornerback [autotag]Damarius McGhee[/autotag] is heading to the Big 12 as he committed to join coach Lance Leipold at Kansas, according to an announcement on his Instagram Story. The Jayhawks had a breakout season in 2022, reaching six wins and bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008.

McGhee is a former top 200 overall prospect and four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class. He made 12 appearances as a true freshman including a start in the Texas Bowl, but he played in just one game this year as a sophomore in the win over Auburn.

Losing McGhee hurt LSU from a depth perspective, but it hit the transfer portal aggressively at corner again this offseason. McGhee meanwhile will hope to find the field more regularly in Lawrence.

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LSU loses another piece in the secondary to transfer portal

Jones was suspended for academic reasons during the entire 2022 season.

It appears the secondary is going to be a need once again this offseason, at least from a depth perspective.

On Wednesday night, cornerback Raydarious Jones entered the transfer portal, becoming the third Tigers player to do so since the portal officially opened on Monday. He joins [autotag]Damarius McGhee[/autotag], who entered the portal on Tuesday.

Starting nickel [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag] also declared for the draft.

A junior and fourth-year player, Jones didn’t see any action in 2022 as he was suspended the entire season for academic reasons. He appeared in nine games with no starts as a sophomore in 2021 and finishes his LSU career with nine tackles (five solo) and a pass breakup.

The Tigers haven’t seen a lot of major departures through the transfer portal so far, but they have lost some players who were going to be relied on for some reps next fall. It will be interesting to see how aggressive Kelly is in the portal himself in trying to replace them.

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Former blue-chip LSU cornerback enters transfer portal

Damarius McGhee appeared in just one game this season after playing in 12 with one start as a true freshman in 2021.

The Tigers haven’t had many transfer portal losses in the first two days of it officially being open, but they have seen some attrition.

The latest loss was sophomore cornerback [autotag]Damarius McGhee[/autotag], a former four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class from Pensacola Catholic High School in Florida. The news was first reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz.

McGhee seemed to have a promising future with LSU after appearing in 12 games as a true freshman a year ago, including a start in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State. However, McGhee appeared in just one contest (playing two snaps) this season.

He was buried on the cornerback depth chart behind transfer additions [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag].

A former top-200 recruit, McGhee will certainly draw some attention in the portal as he looks for a fresh start elsewhere.

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Mekhi Garner listed as a sleeper pick among top returning cornerbacks

This cornerback could make an impact for LSU

Outside of who will start on the offensive line, there is no bigger question mark than who will make up the secondary for the LSU Tigers in 2022.

With knowledge of a mass exodus at the position, Brian Kelly and company went to the transfer portal to make an instant impact. One of those additions came from right down the road in Lafayette, Louisiana.

After three seasons with the UL-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, cornerback Mekhi Garner made the move to jump into the SEC. He has an opportunity to improve his game against some of the best wide receivers in the country. Filling the void left by Derek Stingley Jr and Eli Ricks won’t be an easy task but Garner should be up to it.

In their annual series of top returning talent, newcomer Mekhi Garner was pegged as the sleeper at cornerback for this class by Pro Football Focus.

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What PFF Says…

Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Garner has been one of the best cornerbacks at the Group of Five level over the last couple of seasons at Louisiana and now is taking the leap to the Power Five to join Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers. He has earned an 83.5 coverage grade since 2020 with zero catches allowed in 10 of his games played. The 6-foot-2, 212-point cornerback has racked up 15 pass breakups and three interceptions in that span. He plays in control and isn’t going to lose at the catch point with his physical frame. How Garner holds up against some of the more athletic receivers in the SEC will be something to monitor.

Garner is definitely a physical cornerback that brings size to the position for the LSU defense. Standing in at 6’2″ will allow the new Tigers cornerback to avoid bigger wide receivers from going up over him. He has shown the ability to climb the ladder to take the ball away. While Garner didn’t create any turnovers with interceptions in 2021, he did add a forced fumble with eight passes defended.

Garner along with Damarius McGhee and potentially Jarrick Bernard could be a solid trio of cornerbacks that see a good amount of playing time in 2022. Greg Brooks Jr will likely hold down the nickel cornerback spot, which will allow Matt House to move some secondary pieces around to create good matchups.

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CBS Sports pegs Demarius McGhee as the next in line after Derek Stingley Jr

This freshman could have a huge impact in 2022.

When top-level players leave for the NFL, it often leaves a huge void unless someone is ready to step up. At the cornerback position for the LSU Tigers, they have a lot of voids to fill with Derek Stingley Jr, Eli Ricks, Cordale Flott, and Dwight McGlothern all exiting stage left prior to the 2022 campaign.

LSU has to fill the role left by former All-American cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Following the 2019 national title run, the five-star signee never looked the same for the Tigers defense.

The new staff under Brian Kelly understood the need to replace multiple starters on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the secondary. The team added Greg Brooks Jr from Arkansas and Mekhi Garner from UL-Lafayette through the transfer portal. However, CBS Sports has a different player in mind to replace Stingley Jr in 2022.

They opted for a cornerback that is already on the roster and received a huge chunk of playing time in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State, Damarius McGhee.

What CBS Sports Says…

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Replacing Derek Stingley Jr

Replacement — Damarius McGhee: Though Stingley’s 2021 campaign was cut short by injury, his star power and pro projections are still worth mentioning, especially given the extensive personnel needs for Brian Kelly’s 2022 roster in Baton Rouge. McGhee was a four star-prospect in the 2021 recruiting class and earned the start at cornerback in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State, but he’s also one of just a few scholarship defensive backs left following some remarkable roster turnover in the wake of the coaching change. There has been some good news in beefing up the numbers with LSU landing a commitment from former Arkansas defensive back Greg Brooks Jr. Brooks is more of a nickel-safety option, but he’s a three-year starter in the SEC and at least another body for an LSU secondary in need of numbers.

The former four-star cornerback signed in the 2021 recruiting cycle out of Florida. McGhee was a former Tennessee commit that flipped to the Tigers. He was a two-way playmaker in high school which shows you that he has ball skills. Whether or not that translates remains to be seen. However, it could be a big year for McGhee if he can win one of the cornerback spots in the spring and fall camps. He has tremendous upside, but can he take hold of the opportunity before him is another question.

How some of the young guns fared in first real action

Looking at the young guns and how they played for LSU.

This story has been beaten like a drum at this point, but LSU’s roster situation against Kansas State was not good. Most of LSU’s main contributors were not available. LSU had to reach pretty far down the depth chart to find guys to play. This meant LSU was getting their first real look at some young guys in-game action.

Multiple players had barely played all year but found themselves getting a heavy workload in the bowl game. How much can be taken away from how they played is hard to say at this point. It was a weird, weird situation.

By the time next season rolls around, the way anyone played in this game won’t have any effect on who is in and who is out. They were probably nothing more than pre-seasons reps if you will. But in this sport, any experience is good experience, and hopefully, those reps serve these guys well as they head into 2022.

One of the few reasons this game was interesting was because it would be the first time fans got to see a lot of these guys. So now that it is over, let us take a look at how they fared.

First, a look at a young cornerback

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Tennessee 2021 cornerback decommits from Vols on Thanksgiving

Tennessee 2021 cornerback decommits from Vols on Thanksgiving.

Tennessee suffered a decommitment from its 2021 recruiting class Thursday.

Defensive back prospect Damarius McGhee announced his decision to decommit from the Vols on Twitter.

“I wanna thank all of my Tennessee fam for everything,” McGhee said on Twitter. “I will be decommiting and opening my choices to see which school is the right one for me!”

The 6-foot-1, 162-pound cornerback is from Pensacola Catholic High School in Pensacola, Florida. He committed to the Vols in July.

Tennessee is in the process of filling its 2021 football recruiting class.

Below are Tennessee’s commitments and decommitments for the 2021 recruiting class.

University of Tennessee’s 2021 commitment tracker

Georgia football offers scholarship to Damarius McGhee

Georgia football has offered 2021 3-star ATH/CB Damarius Mcghee out of Pensacola, FL.

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have extended an offer to 2021 3-star cornerback Damarius Mcghee, out of Pensacola, Florida.

Mcghee is listed as a cornerback on 247Sports, but he can pretty much do it all. In his Twitter bio, McGhee states that he also plays wide receiver and quarterback for Pensacola Catholic team.

Last season, Mcghee completed 5/10 pass attempts for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had 14 carries for 70 yards and three touchdowns and he caught 20 passes for 433 yards and 3 touchdowns. Defensively, he had 47 tackles, 6 interceptions, and 5 punt blocks.

Mcghee is expected to play cornerback at the collegiate level, even though he could play on either side of the ball.

247Sports has him listed as the 31st best cornerback in the 2021 class and the No. 54 player in Florida.

Check out a sneak peek of Damarius’ athleticism here: