Tag: Greg Brooks Jr

Analyzing every LSU cornerback transfer addition

Here’s what to expect from LSU’s key transfer additions at corner.

For the second year in a row, LSU was forced to rebuild its secondary through the portal.

Last year’s additions — [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] — proved to be essential to the success of LSU’s defense.

Garner, Bernard-Converse and Foucha are off to the NFL, and a couple of LSU’s younger corners have hit the portal themselves. The attrition left LSU with few options to start at corner in 2023, none of them proven.

Those concerns have been squashed as LSU is set to bring in a slew of transfer corners. At least a couple from this crew should be in Baton Rouge for more than a year.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see these guys earn starting roles, or at least, make big contributions.

Here’s a look at LSU’s corner additions in the portal.

Transfer portal aggressiveness paid dividends for LSU in 2022

The Tigers needed an influx of talent in 2022, and Brian Kelly’s portal strategy worked wonders.

When [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] took over LSU’s program 13 months ago, the roster situation was — frankly — a mess.

In the Tigers’ Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State, they had just 39 scholarship players available. It was clear that to have any chance of immediate competitiveness, Kelly needed to add talent and do so quickly.

That’s exactly what he did, bringing in one of the top transfer classes in the country. He rebuilt the secondary essentially from scratch, adding players like [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag], but perhaps the most impactful addition was quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], one of the top signal-callers in the SEC this fall.

On3’s Mike Huguenin broke down LSU’s success in the portal this past offseason.

2021 record: 6-7
2022 record: 10-4, SEC title game loss, Citrus Bowl win
Coaching change?: Yes
Transfer quarterback?: Yes, Jayden Daniels (from Arizona State)
The buzz: New coach Brian Kelly went heavily into the portal, especially on defense. The key newcomer, though, was Daniels, whose mobility became a big part of the offense. He was a key reason LSU surprisingly (heck, stunningly) won the SEC West title. Transfers played a huge role in the secondary, with four seeing important playing time. And DT Mekhi Wingo, who transferred from Missouri, became vital when rising-star DT Maason Smith was injured and lost for the season in the opener.
2023 transfer commitments: 7

As Huguenin notes, some transfers like Wingo saw an even bigger role than expected due to injury. It’s hard to picture where this team would have ended up without some of these incredibly impactful additions.

Kelly has made it clear he doesn’t intend to use the portal as aggressively this offseason. LSU has seven commitments in the portal right now, and it may not add anymore until the second transfer window in the spring.

Now that Kelly has a foundation in place, he wants to focus more on high school recruiting — an understandable step. Still, this team needed an influx of talent badly in 2022, and Kelly’s aggressiveness paid off big time.

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WATCH: Drew Brees swarmed by LSU players looking for autographs after Citrus Bowl

WATCH: Drew Brees swarmed by LSU players looking for autographs after Citrus Bowl

How cool is this? Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees didn’t get the result he wanted when his Purdue Boilermakers got run over by the LSU Tigers in a 63-7 finish during this year’s Citrus Bowl, but the future Pro Football Hall of Famer still made an impact on the next generation. Spectrum News 13’s Josh Miller caught up with Brees after the final whistle.

Brees stepped in as an interim assistant coach for Purdue after the Boilermakers lost a lot of help to the college football hiring cycle, including former head coach Jeff Brohm. And many LSU players sought Brees’ autograph after the game, mobbing him with whatever they had on hand: their gloves, their jerseys, even their towels. It’s not every day you get to meet a living legend, much less claim some bragging rights after a big bowl win.

“I’m gonna tell my kids this one day, you heard me? I beat Drew Brees, we beat Drew Brees,” grinned safety Joe Foucha, a New Orleans native from McDonogh 35 Senior High School. Many players on the field grew up watching Brees lead the Saints to the team’s brightest era of football, and several of them were in the crowd seeking Brees’ signature — guys like wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. (of Zachary, La.) and safety Greg Brooks Jr. (from Harvey, La.).

So while Brees’ turn as a coach may have not gone as hoped, he still has a great reputation among the next players dreaming of turning pro. It’s good to see his day — and theirs — ended on a high note. That was the case for Brees’ children, too, who petitioned LSU running back John Emery for photos and autographs after the game while decked out in Tigers gear (unlike their dad, still wearing his Purdue colors). WAFB 9’s Jacques Doucet captured the moment:

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Instant Analysis: LSU dominates Purdue to win Citrus Bowl, earn 10th win

The Tigers ended the year on a high note by blowing out Purdue 63-7.

The Tigers cruised against a shorthanded Purdue team in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Monday afternoon, taking down the Boilermakers 63-7 in a game that was never in doubt from the opening kick.

With the victory, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] earned his 10th win in his debut season as LSU snapped a two-game losing streak and ended the year on a high note.

It was a dominant offensive game from the Tigers, who led 35-0 at halftime and finished with 594 total yards. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] got the start at quarterback, and he certainly didn’t look hobbled despite nursing an ankle injury suffered in the SEC Championship.

Daniels was pulled early in the second half, but he was efficient as ever, completing 12 of 17 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown while adding 67 yards on the ground. We also saw a healthy dose of [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], who played intermittently in the first half and was handed the reigns in the third quarter before true freshman [autotag]Walker Howard[/autotag] took over in the fourth.

Nussmeier looked the part again, completing 11 of 15 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, though he threw an interception in the end zone. [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] also completed two passes for 50 yards on a pair of trick plays, one of which went to Daniels for a touchdown on a Philly Special.

In addition to his contributions in the passing game, Nabers led the Tigers in receiving with 163 yards on nine catches, including a 75-yard touchdown on a jet sweep. [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] had five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] also found the end zone.

While the Tigers were great through the air, they also totaled more than 200 yards on the ground. [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] got the start and took eight carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns, while [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] had 52 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

Purdue struggled to do much of anything offensively in this one without quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who opted out. It played four signal callers, who went a combined 19 of 42 for 163 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

[autotag]Sai’vion Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Zavier Carter[/autotag] took advantage of their opportunities at the edge with each totaling a sack, while [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] also brought the quarterback down once. [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] and [autotag]Quad Wilson[/autotag] all had interceptions, with Wilson taking one 99 yards to the house in the final minute.

LSU’s Year 1 under Kelly was filled with some very high highs and fairly low lows. But the Tigers took care of business on Monday as they put a bow on the 2022 season and will enter 2023 with a ton of momentum.

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Key LSU defender announces plans to return in 2023

Greg Brooks Jr. is coming back to Baton Rouge for one more ride.

The Tigers will once again be undergoing a full-on rebuild of the secondary this offseason, but they won’t have to start from scratch.

On Friday, starter [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] announced that he would be returning to LSU for one more season. A transfer from Arkansas, Brooks began the 2022 seasons as a starter at corner before eventually swapping spots with [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag] and moving to safety.

He started 12 games and appeared in all 13, totaling 61 tackles (two for loss), a sack, a forced fumble, four pass deflections and an interception, which sealed the win over Auburn.

“Normally, this is where you hear the part about moving on to the next chapter, but I believe my story in Baton Rouge is not over,” Brooks said. “I will continue on this Path to Greatness at LSU for one more year. I want to close this chapter the right way alongside my brothers and Tiger Nation.”

Between transfers and the exits of [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag] and Ward for the draft (plus the expected exit of [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag]), LSU will definitely have a new-look secondary next year. But Brooks should bring a much-needed veteran presence to the room.

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LSU again wearing thin in the secondary entering the offseason

How Brian Kelly rebuilds the secondary will go a long way toward shaping LSU’s 2023 roster.

One of Brian Kelly’s first tasks at LSU this time last year was rebuilding the secondary.

The conclusion of 2021 saw [autotag]Derek Stingley Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Cordale Flott[/autotag] head to the NFL while [autotag]Eli Ricks[/autotag] and [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag] enter the transfer portal.

LSU returned almost no experience at cornerback and a group of safeties that struggled.

The coaching staff did an admirable job filling the holes, getting the likes of [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] from the transfer portal.

[autotag]Major Burns[/autotag], [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag] and [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] took some steps forward along with the portal additions, and the Tigers’ secondary did a fine job in 2022.

Kelly and company will now be faced with a similar task this offseason.

Ward has declared for the draft and will likely be joined by Bernard-Converse and Garner. The latter has eligibility left but played well enough to earn a spot on Sundays.

Foucha, a fifth-year player, will be off to give it a shot in the league too.

[autotag]Demarius McGhee[/autotag] and [autotag]Raydarious Jones[/autotag], two talented recruits who have been depth pieces for the last couple of years, have entered the portal.

The Tigers should remain fine at safety. There’s a chance LSU gets Brooks back along with Burns. Ryan played a lot of nickel this fall but has the ability to play on the backend. LSU’s 2023 recruiting class currently holds three commitments from blue-chip safeties, too.

The picture grows murky when looking at the cornerbacks. There aren’t many in-house options, especially on the outside.

There’s still [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag], the talented Ohio State transfer whose career has been interrupted by injuries. He made his way back on the field for LSU but was injured once again shortly after.

With a full, healthy offseason under his belt, he could emerge as a solid option in 2023.

Then there’s [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaelyn Davis-Robinson[/autotag], two talented freshmen that impressed [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in fall camp but took a redshirt. Without significant additions in the portal, LSU will be relying on both to develop quickly. Even if both pan out in 2023, depth is still a major concern.

The Tigers could be gearing up to add some big-time corners to their 2023 freshmen class. LSU is well positioned with [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag] and [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag].

Landing Ricks and Toviano a year after Welch and Davis-Robinson would lay a young foundation of talent and put LSU in a place where it wasn’t relying on the portal to build its secondary every year.

When LSU does start looking in the portal, look for the Tigers to get after names like Fentrell Cypress and JQ Hardaway. Both corners are two of the better players currently on the transfer market and respectively come from Virginia and Cincinnati. LSU has staffers with connections to both programs.

LSU landed two quality corners last year in Garner and Bernard-Converse. You could even throw in [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag], who made some positive contributions, as well.

It’s tough to imagine LSU’s defense having the same level of success this year without them. It’ll be just as critical to land at least two quality corners again.

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Brian Kelly breaks down Tigers’ transfer portal strategy this offseason

Kelly took more transfers than high school recruits last cycle. He’s changing that approach a bit this time around.

On Monday, the NCAA transfer portal officially opened for the first 45-day window, which will run through January before another window opens up following spring practice.

It was a big day around college football, and ahead of the festivities, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] addressed his team’s portal strategy this offseason. Last year’s offseason featured a transfer-heavy haul as Kelly looked to quickly turn the roster around.

He took more portal players than high school recruits last cycle, but you can expect a different approach this time around. On Sunday, Kelly discussed the way the Tigers hope to use the portal.

Per On3’s Shea Dixon:

“They have got to be the right fit first,” Kelly said on Sunday. “They have to recognize the value of an education from LSU. They have to have the right traits. We are not just open for business. We’re not just putting a sign up saying, hey, we are going to take whoever. They have to be the right fit. I prefer that they are from the State of Louisiana if we can find them. And then we are going to address needs based upon how that freshman class marries into it by the particular needs by position class.

“So we are not going to overload a particular position group. In other words, if we have got three or four wide receivers that are freshmen coming in, you may not see a heavy influence in the portal in that position.”

Finding Louisiana natives in the portal was certainly an emphasis for Kelly the first time around, and he landed players like [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag], [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] and others. It seems he will look to do the same this offseason.

Even with the portal allowing this team to plug some holes, Kelly said he still wants the program’s focus to be on development.

“We are going to develop based upon our freshman class, too” Kelly said. “So we are doing this at the same time, and also allowing our program to be younger, too. We want to bring both of these along. We don’t always want to be a turn-it-over program where we are bringing in transfers and turning the program over.

“So we need to grow and you’ve got to do that by recruiting freshmen and giving them the opportunity to step on the field and develop. And you can’t do that if you keep bringing in freshmen at one position and then bringing a portal guy who has got one year and putting it in front of him.”

The portal was a major reason behind LSU’s rapid turnaround under Kelly in 2022, in which the team upset Alabama in Year 1 and captured an SEC West title. Kelly will look to make similarly impactful moves ahead of his second season.

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Greg Brooks Jr. and Joe Foucha set to face former team on Saturday

Both LSU and Arkansas will see some old friends on Saturday.

The introduction of the transfer portal has made facing your old team much more common at the college level.

What used to be left to the pros is now seen throughout the NCAA. LSU’s matchup with Arkansas will feature a couple of old friends for each squad.

After spending several years in Fayetteville, defensive backs [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] landed at LSU to finish their careers in their home state of Louisiana.

Foucha played 2,323 snaps with Arkansas before transferring to LSU. While seeing a player face his former team isn’t that rare anymore, seeing a guy who played that much with that old team might be. Brooks is up there too, having played 1,734 snaps with the Razorbacks.

The former connections between these programs don’t end there. LSU will be seeing a couple of former Tigers this weekend.

[autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag] and [autotag]Landon Jackson[/autotag] both earned starting roles with the Razorbacks after leaving LSU.

McGlothern is having a good year for the Hogs. Teams are throwing his way a lot, but he has a completion percentage below 50 when targeted. According to PFF, he’s second among SEC cornerbacks in passer rating when targeted.

Jackson was a blue-chip edge rusher out of high school but has yet to emerge as one of the SEC’s top pass rushers. Only three SEC edge rushers that have played 150 pass-rush snaps have a worse PFF pass-rush grade than Jackson.

On the coaching side, it’ll be [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag]’ first trip back to Arkansas since taking the LSU job. Davis, now the offensive line coach at LSU and a Baton Rouge native, was on Sam Pittman’s staff prior to joining LSU in the summer of 2021.

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Joe Foucha’s breakout game elevates LSU’s secondary moving forward

Joe Foucha was one of LSU’s standout performers against Ole Miss. His breakout should elevate the secondary.

Down 24-20 in the second half, Ole Miss was deep in LSU territory and threatening to take the lead.

Rebels QB Jaxson Dart took the snap and faked a handoff to Quinshon Judkins before looking for Malik Heath on a fade route in the end zone. Under pressure from [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag], the throw came up short well short of Heath, who was tightly covered by [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag].

[autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag], playing under Heath, made a break on the ball. He extended one hand and reeled the ball in, picking off Dart.

The pick stopped any momentum Ole Miss had gotten back and put LSU in a position to pull away. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and the Tigers offense made the most of the ensuing drive, scoring a touchdown to go up 31-20.

 

Foucha missed the first four games of the season due to academic suspension. He returned against Auburn, playing 36 snaps. He saw significantly less time against Tennessee, getting just 6 snaps.

But over the last two weeks, Foucha has seen 160 snaps, taking over a full time role. Per PFF, Foucha was LSU’s highest-graded defender against Ole Miss.

Foucha was targeted four times and allowed just four catches for two yards. He had a 17.7 passer rating when targeted. Without [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag], LSU needed Foucha to step up at safety and he did.

Foucha and [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] aren’t guys that will fly around on the back end and run with speedsters in man coverage, but they’re competent veterans who provide LSU with versatility at the position.

Foucha played 15 snaps in the box, 30 at free safety and 31 in the slot. On a few occasions, he even crept up on the edge.

Against Auburn, Foucha struggled in pass coverage, allowing three catches for 63 yards. Against Florida, he missed a couple of tackles but was better in pass coverage.

Foucha is an experienced player, but it’s understandable that it could take some time to settle in. It appears he’s now done just that. LSU had been getting solid performances from its corners, but safety had been inconsistent.

Burns was good, but his injury raised some questions. The staff tried putting Bernard-Converse back there, but his talents are best served on the outside. Brooks and [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag] have gone back and forth between nickel and safety, but Ward seems to have found a home at nickel.

There’s a chance LSU has Burns back against Alabama, and his skillset is something LSU misses on the backend. But the emergence of Foucha gives LSU some comfort. This is the most well-rounded the secondary has been all year.

[autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], Ward, [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag] and [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] allowed just four combined catches against the Rebels.

LSU’s going to need all hands on deck with Bryce Young coming to town in two weeks. Saturday wasn’t perfect, and the Tigers defense still has some big play issues.

A secondary that was once a major question mark is continuing to round into shape and Foucha’s performance only lends more reason for Tiger fans to be optimistic about this defense.

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Evaluating every LSU defensive back through seven games

Here’s how every LSU DB has fared seven games into the season.

LSU’s secondary was one of its biggest question marks entering the year.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] hit the transfer portal hard, adding [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] and [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag]

LSU also had some significant returners in [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag], [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag].

Garner, Bernard-Converse, Richardson, Brooks and Ward have played the majority of the snaps. Prior to his injury, Burns played as much as anyone, and Foucha missed the first four games, but his working his way into a sizeable role.

For the most part, the results have exceeded expectations, but there have been issues when it comes to giving up explosive plays. Here’s how each has performed to this point, per the advanced statistics from Pro Football Focus.