Tag: jk Johnson

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 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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LSU cornerback Duce Chestnut not currently with team, Brian Kelly says

Brian Kelly said a decision on Duce Chestnut’s future with the team will be made in the coming weeks.

LSU’s already struggling secondary took another hit this week as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] announced Thursday that Syracuse transfer cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] is not currently with the team.

According to Kelly, a decision on Chestnut’s future with the program will be made in the next few weeks, though he declined to go into further detail.

Chestnut was a Freshman All-American with the Orange and an All-ACC honorable mention last season. He began the year as a starter, appearing in the first four games, though he was supplanted in the starting lineup by fellow transfer [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag].

In those four games, Chestnut totaled four tackles with an interception, putting him in a tie for the team lead.

Chestnut did not travel with the team to Oxford, Mississippi, this past weekend for what Kelly only called a coach’s decision at the time. Now, an LSU defensive backs group that also lost cornerback transfer [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] with a leg injury before the season is even thinner.

It’s unclear if Chestnut will return to the team at some point, but in the meantime, Harris and [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] — another transfer — will likely be the starting cornerback duo.

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NEW: LSU cornerback JK Johnson likely out for the year after undergoing surgery

JK Johnson underwent successful surgery on his left leg and will be out until December, at the earliest.

LSU’s secondary took a major blow in fall camp when Ohio State transfer [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], who was expected to compete for a starting spot at outside cornerback, went down with a leg injury.

Now, it seems that Johnson is unlikely to return to the Tigers in 2023.

On Wednesday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said that Johnson underwent successful surgery to repair a left leg fracture and will be out until December, at the very earliest. This means that if Johnson were to play, it likely wouldn’t be until the postseason.

A former top-100 recruit, Johnson played in 15 games with five starts in two seasons with the Buckeyes.

Without Johnson, LSU has turned to transfers [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] and [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag], though [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag] — another transfer — got the start against Grambling in his debut with the Tigers and could be moving toward the full-time starting role.

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LSU dealing with several injuries in secondary ahead of season

The Tigers could enter the season with some depth concerns in the defensive backfield.

We’re less than two weeks away from LSU beginning its 2023 campaign against the Florida State Seminoles in Orlando, but the Tigers are currently battling a few injuries in one of the thinner position groups on the field.

LSU currently has several players in the secondary working to get back to full health. The most significant is cornerback [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], an Ohio State transfer who was expected to compete for a starting job but is currently out indefinitely with a fractured foot.

On3’s Matthew Brune also provided injury reports on two other players. [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag], who’s having a good camp and could win the nickel job, was injured during Saturday’s scrimmage, ending his day.

If Ryan is unavailable for the opener, it’s possible we could see safety [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] move back to nickel, where he began the 2022 season.

Safety [autotag]Matthew Langlois[/autotag] has missed a lot of camp, which is concerning given his injury history. He was expected to provide some key depth, and his absence for the start of the season would raise even more questions about the group.

That’s not even mentioning the status of [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], who returned to the field on Saturday after missing a week of practice. It’s still not entirely clear if he’s going to play against the Seminoles.

LSU has luckily managed to stay healthy among starters in the defensive backfield, but it could enter the season with some serious depth concerns.

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LSU cornerback JK Johnson to miss extended time with leg injury

The Ohio State transfer may be set to miss a decent chunk of time this fall.

LSU’s secondary has been missing one of its key pieces in fall camp as [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] has been held out with a leg injury.

He was spotted wearing a cast earlier in camp, and while the team worked at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank on Wednesday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said that Johnson will miss an extended period of time with what he described as a “fracture,” according to LSU Country’s Zack Nagy.

“JK has a fracture,” Kelly said. “That’s got to get set. That looks to be a long-term situation that he’s going to be out.”

If Johnson is unavailable for a decent portion of the year, it would be quite a blow to the secondary. The Ohio State transfer was expected to compete for a starting spot on the outside, and with him out, the Tigers will turn to other transfers in [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], as well as returning player [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag].

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LSU cornerback JK Johnson spotted in cast at practice on Monday

The Ohio State transfer will seemingly be unavailable for at least the near future.

LSU seems to be dealing with a potentially major issue in the secondary.

[autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], a transfer addition from Ohio State this offseason, was spotted at Monday’s practice wearing a cast and using a scooter to move around. It’s unclear exactly how long Johnson will be unavailable.

In two seasons with the Buckeyes, Johnson appeared in five games and made five starts, all of which came last season. He finished the season with 20 tackles, and now the St. Louis native is reunited with his high school coach in LSU cornerbacks coach [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag].

If Johnson is unable to go by the start of the season, it would certainly impact the team’s depth in the secondary as he was expected to compete for a starting spot on the outside alongside fellow transfers [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag].

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 12 JK Johnson

JK Johnson started five of the 13 games he appeared in as a redshirt freshman for Ohio State last fall.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

After losing a lot of production in the secondary from the 2022 team, the Tigers went heavy to the transfer portal to plug the holes. One of the top additions is cornerback [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], who was a rotational player with Ohio State as a redshirt freshman last fall but is expected to take a step forward this fall.

JK Johnson Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Ht: 6-1

Wt: 180

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 1 in Missouri | No. 3 Cornerback

Class in 2022: Redshirt Freshman

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sack FF PD INT
2021 (Ohio State) 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
2022 (Ohio State) 13 20 16 0 0 0 0 0


Depth Chart Overview

A former top-50 recruit coming out of high school and the top prospect in the state of Missouri, Johnson redshirted his first season at Ohio State after appearing in just two games.

He saw a much bigger role as a redshirt freshman last fall, appearing in 13 games and making five starts. He had minimal production, making 20 tackles while not breaking up or intercepting any passes.

He hit the transfer portal after the season, and he lands with an LSU team that has to replace [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag]. Johnson will likely be in the mix to earn a starting spot on the outside this season alongside transfers [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], as well as returning contributor [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag].

JK Johnson’s Photo Gallery