Tag: Duce Chestnut

Former LSU cornerback Duce Chestnut returning to Syracuse

Duce Chestnut is going back to Syracuse after one season at LSU.

After one year at LSU in which he appeared in just four games, cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] is returning to Syracuse.

One of the top additions in LSU’s transfer portal class last offseason, Chestnut was expected to occupy a starting role in the secondary this season.

However, he came off the bench in each of his four appearances before spending the rest of the season away from the team. Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] wouldn’t go into specifics on his absence or that of fellow transfer cornerback [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], but he said he would meet with both following the regular season.

Last week, they both entered the transfer portal.

Chestnut started in 24 games for the Orange and was named a Freshman All-American and the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. He was also a two-time All-ACC selection, and now he’s rejoining a program that has a lot of momentum right now under new head coach and elite recruiter [autotag]Fran Brown[/autotag].

In one season with the Tigers, he had six total tackles with an interception.

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Report: LSU cornerback Denver Harris is back in the transfer portal

Denver Harris appeared in the first five games, starting three, but he spent the remainder of the season away from the team.

After just one season at LSU, [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] is back in the transfer portal.

A former five-star prospect in the 2022 class who signed with Texas A&M, Harris was one of the most anticipated offseason additions in the Tigers’ transfer portal class ahead of this season.

The Houston native appeared in the first five games of the season, starting three of them, but he was sidelined for the rest of the year for undisclosed reasons. He previously dealt with disciplinary issues during his stint with the Aggies.

Harris’ departure isn’t exactly unexpected, especially as it comes just a day after cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag], another transfer who spent most of the year away from the team, re-entered the portal.

Harris totaled seven tackles in 2023 and defended two passes. He will have two remaining years of eligibility at his next stop.

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LSU cornerback Duce Chestnut re-enters the transfer portal

Duce Chestnut appeared in just four games during his lone season in Baton Rouge.

After spending one year at LSU, cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] is back in the transfer portal, he announced via his Twitter account on Tuesday.

One of the most anticipated portal additions last offseason, Chestnut was a two-time All-SEC selection at Syracuse and was expected to take over a starting role this season.

Chestnut appeared in the first four games of the season, starting none of them, but he wouldn’t appear the rest of the year as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was murky about his status aside from confirming he remained with the team.

Kelly said he would meet with both Chestnut and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], who was also away from the team for most of the year, following the season. Harris has not yet announced his intentions.

In four games with the Tigers this fall, Chestnut totaled six tackles (one for loss) an interception and a pass defended.

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LSU cornerbacks Duce Chestnut, Denver Harris will miss bowl game, decision on futures with program not made

The Tigers added two of the top transfer portal cornerbacks this offseason, but both have been away from the team for undisclosed reasons.

LSU’s secondary had a lot of struggles in 2023, and much of that stemmed from the unavailability of two players it was expecting to play key roles.

Transfer cornerback additions [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] began the year with the team and each registered starts, but they’ve since been away from the team for undisclosed reasons.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] confirmed that neither would play in LSU’s bowl game. Whether they will be on the roster beyond this season hasn’t been decided yet as Kelly said the staff will meet with both players individually after the semester.

“We have not sat down with them,” Kelly said. “We’re going to wait until the end of the semester and then we’ll sit down and have individual conversations with both of them.”

Harris, a former five-star who came from Texas A&M, was suspended multiple times as a true freshman with the Aggies last year. Chestnut came from Syracuse where he was an All-ACC selection.

Those players being unavailable and a season-ending injury to Zy Alexander have caused LSU to rely on quite a bit of youth in the secondary, and the results speak for itself.

It remains to be seen if the duo will return in 2024 to shore up the depth in the defensive backfield.

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Brian Kelly expresses confidence in his defensive backs despite being shorthanded

The injury report for this weekend’s high-profile matchup against Alabama was released Monday morning, and it isn’t good news for the secondary.

The injury report for this weekend’s high-profile matchup against Alabama was released Monday morning. Out of LSU’s four transfer portal defensive backs still available ([autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] suffered an injury before the season started), only [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag] is going to play.

[autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag], [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] are all out.

Even with all of those injuries, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] still believes that his secondary is capable of getting the job done. Sam, [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] and others will have to step up in a big way to stop Jalen Milroe, Jermaine Burton and the rest of the Tide offense.

Alabama doesn’t have the best offense in the country, as a matter of fact, LSU does. The Tide have had issues blocking for Milroe. Left Tackle has been a big point of contention for the Tide and Tommy Rees is still working out who fits best at what position. LSU/Alabama will kick off at 6:45 on Saturday night.

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LSU Injury Report: Zy Alexander out vs. Alabama, could miss ‘significant period of time’

With Zy Alexander possibly set to miss significant time, LSU’s struggling secondary will be even further strained.

LSU’s secondary has had its fair share of struggles this season, and as it prepares for the most important game of the season on the road against Alabama, it’s decently shorthanded.

Zy Alexander, who suffered an injury against Army, is unavailable this weekend and possibly beyond as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Monday he could be set to miss a “significant period of time.”

Alexander has been LSU’s best cornerback this year, and his absence will hurt a team that is also without transfer corners [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] for undisclosed reasons.

Add in an injury to defensive tackle [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] that will likely cost him the remainder of the season, and LSU’s defense is not in an ideal spot coming into this game.

In the secondary, LSU will likely turn to [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag] as well as true freshmen like [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag], who Kelly said will return to practice Monday, as well as [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag], who hasn’t repped at corner in-game but has received praise from Kelly.

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Brian Kelly details Jalen Milroe’s improvement at Alabama

Jalen Milroe didn’t start the season on the best note, but he’s playing quite a bit better now.

LSU will be facing a different Alabama starting quarterback on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa than in last year’s win.

Bryce Young has moved on, and this is now Jalen Milroe’s team. After a rough start to the season that even saw his apparent benching, Milroe has been playing much better in recent weeks.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] detailed that improvement at his press conference on Monday.

“I think at first there was this sense that he was just going to run all over the place… He is a threat to run, there’s no doubt about that,” Kelly said. “But he’s going to stand in the pocket, he’s going to throw the football. And the way they create offense is through a balance of running the football, formationing you so you can get some shots down the field.

“And he throws the ball well. And he can hit the open targets, he can push the ball downfield. So I think what he’s done really well is when he’s been given the opportunity to take shots down the field, he’s hooked up. He hasn’t missed receivers. When they’ve created the opportunities, he’s come through for them. And I think that’s been impressive.”

The deep ball has certainly been Milroe’s best friend this season, and that’s a concern for an LSU secondary that will be without [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] in addition to [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag], who haven’t been available in several weeks.

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LSU secondary struggling with injuries, absences during bye week

LSU only had one player returning to this year’s secondary from last year.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] swung for the fences in the transfer portal as he picked up an entire secondary for his first year on the Bayou. That worked for last season, but it left the Tigers thin for this year.

LSU only had one player returning to this year’s secondary from last year. Kelly had to dive back into the transfer portal to find an all-new secondary. Kelly picked up four solid defensive backs from the portal ([autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag], [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag]).

Those guys would make up a pretty solid secondary but there is only one issue: We didn’t account for injuries.

If the Alabama game were to be played this week, all four of those guys would likely be inactive for that pivotal game. Johnson suffered an injury during fall camp that required season-ending surgery and Alexander suffered a leg injury against Army that could cause him to lose some time.

As for Chestnut and Harris, here is what Kelly had to say about them.

“All I can tell you is they’re on scholarship, they’re enrolled in school, but right now, they are not participating,” Kelly said earlier this week, per On3. “They’re still in the program. They’re still in good standing. But they are not able to play right now. Let’s leave it at that. Let’s be patient. We’ll see what happens down the road.”

It has been tough sledding for this secondary all season long, and LSU needs all hands on deck if it wants to beat Alabama.

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A look at the young corners LSU will rely on down the stretch

LSU’s cornerback room is growing thin. Here are the young corners that will see an increase in playing time because of it.

LSU lost another corner when [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] left the Army game with an injury.

There were questions about the cornerback room entering the year, and just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

[autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] suffered a serious leg injury in training camp. [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] have been in and out of the lineup for what appears to be disciplinary reasons, though [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] hasn’t said specifically why Chestnut is currently unavailable. And now Alexander, LSU’s most experienced corner, is out for the foreseeable future.

There was optimism about all four of those names when they arrived from the transfer portal, but it now looks like LSU will be without all four against Alabama next week.

That leaves LSU relying on some young guns that have seen minimal snaps so far. Let’s dive in and take a look at who LSU will need to perform against ‘Bama.

Latest update on injury to LSU cornerback Zy Alexander

Zy Alexander exited the Army win with a lower leg injury, and his status moving forward is unclear.

LSU got the big 62-0 win over Army on Saturday night in Week 8, but the team didn’t emerge entirely unscathed despite not giving up a point.

Cornerback [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag], a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana who has started all eight games on the outside, left the game with a lower leg injury. He reportedly could not put weight on his ankle and was ruled out.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] didn’t have much to update about Alexander immediately following the game. He said the team would have a clearer picture surrounding the extent of his injury in the coming days.

It’s unclear if Alexander will return for the Alabama game, and if he doesn’t, LSU’s depth will be strained. With [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] already out for a lengthy period of time, [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] away from the team and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] inactive against Army, the Tigers had to rely on two true freshmen in [autotag]Jeremiah Hughes[/autotag] and [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag], as well as [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag].

Safety/nickel [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] can also play outside corner, and [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag], who missed Saturday night’s game with an injury, is expected to return during the bye week.

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