Tag: Sevyn Banks

LSU cornerback Sevyn Banks carted off the field after scary injury on opening kickoff

Banks’ helmet collided with the return man, and he eventually left the field on a stretcher.

LSU’s game against Auburn on Saturday night began on a somber (and scary) note.

On the opening kickoff, cornerback [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag]’ helmet collided with the returner while attempting to make a tackle (which ultimately resulted in a targeting penalty). Banks stayed down on the field after the hit and didn’t appear to be moving. LSU’s trainers quickly signaled for the cart, and Banks was carried off on a stretcher.

He was taken to a local hospital, where — per the ESPN broadcast — he was conscious with movement in his extremities.

It’s a devastating setback for Banks, a transfer from Ohio State who battled injury all offseason and made his debut in the purple and gold in last week’s contest against New Mexico.

He’s an important piece of LSU’s depth in the secondary, which is already missing starting safety [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag]. But right now, our thoughts are with Banks and his family during this scary situation.

We’ll keep you posted on any news regarding Banks’ status here at LSU Wire.

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Sevyn Banks expected to play against New Mexico, per Brian Kelly

LSU’s secondary should get a boost with Banks’ return.

2022 has been a year of fresh faces for LSU, and another one will make his debut on Saturday night. Ohio State transfer cornerback [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag] is expected to hit the field after recovering from an injury-riddled 2021.

Banks began 2021 with a knee injury and missed the final few games of the season with a hip. He transferred to LSU in the spring and has slowly been ramping up. Due to the options LSU has in the secondary, the coaches had no reason to rush him back.

Banks was available against Mississippi State, but did not play. New Mexico could provide a better opportunity to work the corner back in. Prior to the injuries, Banks was expected to have a big year in 2021. He was on watchlists and a preseason third-team All-American.

When Banks was on the field, he wasn’t targeted all that much. His 12.9 snaps/target was first among Big Ten corners who played 200 snaps or more. His 17.6 snaps/reception ranked third. He allowed just 9.1 yards per catch.

In 2020, Banks forced six incompletions, which ranked third among Big Ten cornerbacks.

Banks signed with Ohio State in 2018. He was a top-300 recruit and ranked as the 23rd cornerback in the class. If healthy, Banks is a good addition to LSU’s cornerback group. It’s a unit that has already impressed despite a slew of new faces.

[autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag] has been LSU’s most consistent corner, playing more snaps than [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag].

LSU has played a few guys in the slot thus far. [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] started the year there before swapping with [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag], who is now LSU’s starting nickel back with Sage Ryan rotating in. Banks’ return shouldn’t affect the nickel rotation that much as Banks fits better on the outside.

LSU’s next two opponents, New Mexico and Auburn, leave a lot to be desired with the passing attack. However, Tennessee rolls to town on Oct. 8 and the LSU corners will need to have one of their better days, especially those guys on the outside.

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Standout LSU edge rusher BJ Ojulari expected to play in Week 3 vs. Mississippi State

Tigers fans got good news this week regarding one of the team’s best players.

The Tigers were without arguably their best defensive player in Saturday’s 65-17 beatdown in the home opener against Southern. Edge rusher [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] was held out of that game after suffering a knee injury in the opener against Florida State.

Luckily, his absence didn’t prove too costly last week. However, with a much tougher opponent coming to town this week in Mississippi State, LSU needs Ojulari on the field.

Fans got some good news in that regard on Monday, as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said that he expects the preseason First Team All-SEC selection to suit up on Saturday against the Bulldogs.

“We expect him to be available based on my conversations with our doctors yesterday,” Kelly said.

Ojulari is a team captain, and he earned the prestigious No. 18 jersey this offseason as the on and off-field leader of this defense. He finished with six tackles in the season opener, and though he didn’t get a sack, he accounted for three of the team’s four total quarterback hurries.

The Tigers are already thin on the defensive line after interior player [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] was lost for the year with a torn ACL in Week 1. They may, however, get a piece back in the secondary, as the coaches are optimistic that injured Ohio State transfer cornerback [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag] will make his LSU debut.

With Mississippi State’s air-raid offense — which is led by one of the SEC’s best passers in Will Rogers — getting to the quarterback will be a necessity on Saturday. Ojulari’s hopeful return should make doing so a lot easier.

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Brian Kelly optimistic injured CB Sevyn Banks will play in Week 3 vs. Mississippi State

Kelly said Banks is on the “cusp” of playing after missing the first two games.

The secondary is an area of questionable depth for the Tigers, but they may be about to have one of their key offseason additions available for the first time this season.

[autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag], a cornerback who transferred in from Ohio State this offseason, was limited in camp leading up to the season and didn’t dress for the first two games.

On Monday, coach Brian Kelly updated the status of his recovery.

“Look, he wanted to play in the opener,” Kelly said. “But our medical team wanted to make sure that he was 100% — he was probably 90% — and there was really no need (to play him), we feel like we’re in pretty good shape.”

With the start of SEC play on the horizon against the top passing offense in the conference. Will Rogers leads SEC quarterbacks in passing yards, and coach Mike Leach’s signature air-raid offense will likely present the biggest test the new-look secondary has faced thus far.

Kelly is optimistic he will get a key piece back for the challenging matchup.

“This is a game where, all hands on deck at that position,” Kelly said. “The expectation is right now that (Banks) is going to be dressed out, and we’re going to know here Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday how that eventually puts him in the rotation… he’s at the cusp of playing, and we’ll see how he practices this week.”

LSU is a home underdog this week as the Bulldogs head to Tiger Stadium, but Banks could provide the defense with a boost. Banks saw a lot of action in four seasons with the Buckeyes, appearing in 36 games (14 starts) and totaling 43 tackles and two interceptions.

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LSU junior cornerback suspended for entire 2022 season, per report

Raydarious Jones will miss the entire 2022 season due to academic issues, per The Athletic’s Brody Miller.

The Tigers will be without cornerback [autotag]Raydarious Jones[/autotag] for the entire 2022 season, as he has been suspended due to academic reasons, per a report from The Athletic’s Brody Miller.

In the same article, Miller reports that running back [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], who missed the entire 2021 season for academic reasons, will be suspended for the first two games this fall.

Jones, a junior from Horn Lake, Mississippi, has been a rotational contributor for the Tigers and enters his fourth season with the team. He saw sporadic action in seven games his first two years, but he appeared in nine games last fall. He notched nine tackles (five solo) and a pass deflection.

He wasn’t expected to play a major role this fall, especially after the Tigers added a trio of veteran cornerback transfers in [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag] and [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag], in addition to other returning depth players.

Still, Jones is one less piece in a secondary that features largely new faces heading into the 2022 season.

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Here’s what LSU has to do to win the national title this season

ESPN’s Bill Connelly lays out a framework for how the Tigers could compete for a title in Year 1 under Kelly.

Let me preface this by saying there are a lot of caveats and what-ifs, but LSU is listed as a possible national title contender by ESPN’s Bill Connelly.

The Tigers enter the season with +7000 odds of winning the national championship this season, per Tipico Sportsbook, but anything is possible. For that dream to come to fruition, a few things have to happen for this Tigers team, which has a lot of talent in Year 1 under coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] but just as many questions.

But Connelly sees a path to contention for LSU. Here are the five things he says need to happen for that to be the case.

If LSU can thrive through all of the changes…

LSU has a new head coach and a whole lot of new blood in the program. Other than the 15 high school recruits Brian Kelly signed, he brought in 15 transfers from other schools. It is not an easy task to bring all of that new talent and new ideas into one place and make them mesh together quickly. There’s a whole new playbook, new route concepts, new mantras, new goals, etc. Can LSU turn newness into greatness?

If a star quarterback emerges…

[autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] or [autotag]Walker Howard[/autotag]? For LSU to win a national championship this season, one of these guys will have to do their best [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] impression. To win it all, you have to have a great signal caller. You’ve got to have someone that can lead your team through the tough situations that you face in the SEC. Who will be the guy for Kelly?

If the offense has more playmakers than [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag]…

LSU will need some new guys to step up and make plays other than Boutte. We all know Boutte is an incredible receiver, but he can’t do it by himself. [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], and a few other guys have got to help him in that department. One thing I love about Brian Kelly’s offenses is that he loves to use tight ends. That should help immensely.

If the new secondary is as good as it looks…

LSU landed five defensive backs from the transfer portal ([autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] and [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag]). Those guys along with the one returning starter from last year should make a pretty solid secondary. As I mentioned on No. 1 though, You are bringing in a lot of new guys that have to learn how to work together and learn a whole new playbook, so it could take some time.

If the run defense grows more consistent…

If you are gonna play in the SEC, you’ve gotta stop the run. Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M are all going to come out and wear you out by running the ball. You can’t give up over 200 yards a game on the ground and expect to win.

For LSU to win the title, there are a lot of what-ifs, but it is possible for it to at least be competitive this season and have a shot at winning the SEC. Many are overlooking the Tigers after two disappointing campaigns, but Kelly was brought in to turn things around quickly, and he may be able to do just that.

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LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 1 Sevyn Banks

Banks was one of LSU’s top transfer portal additions this offseason.

Going into the 2022 football season, LSU Wire is looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated him coming out of high school, and what role he will play for [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] this season.

We’ve already run through all the players who were listed on the roster this spring, but LSU updated its 2022 roster on Friday to include jersey numbers for all the players joining this summer, both incoming recruits and transfers.

We’re going to first take a look at [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag], a cornerback graduate transfer from Ohio State who could become one of the SEC’s better defensive backs this season.

Sevyn Banks Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 205

247Sports Composite

Four Stars | No. 41 in Florida | No. 23 Cornerback

Class in 2021: Senior

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sack FF PD INT
2018 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
2019 10 11 10 1.5 0 0 3 1
2020 8 23 19 0.5 0 0 6 1
2021 9 8 7 1 0 0 1 0

PFF Grades

Year Defense Run Defense Tackling Pass Rushing Coverage
2018 62.4 – – – 60.0
2019 82.3 76.0 84.2 – 81.6
2020 55.4 56.8 70.7 59.8 55.0
2021 61.1 66.3 37.2 60.0 59.8

Depth Chart Overview

Banks arrives in Baton Rouge after an up-and-down career in Columbus. A former top-250 recruit out of Jones High School in Orlando, he signed with Ohio State out of high school, playing in just two games as a true freshman in 2018.

He saw a bigger role in 2019, appearing in 10 games, but he became a full-time starter during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020. He started all eight games and totaled 23 tackles as well as a team-high six passes defended (both are career bests).

Banks entered 2021 with high expectations and was a third-team preseason All-American, but despite playing in nine games, he only started six and finished with just eight tackles. For his career with the Buckeyes, he had 43 tackles (three for loss), a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.

The secondary was a major area of focus for LSU this offseason, and it added a pair of outside corners who were very productive with their previous schools: [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] and [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag]. Banks might not beat those players out, but he should see a healthy amount of playing time this fall and could prove one of the most impactful additions.

Sevyn Banks’ Photo Gallery

Recapping LSU’s recent recruiting wins under Brian Kelly

The recruiting trail has been heating up for Brian Kelly and LSU. Here are all the names they have landed over the last few weeks.

After signing day in February, recruiting was slow for LSU. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his staff were still settling in as the calendar turned to the 2023 signing class.

Recently, things on the trail have heated up again. It’s usually what happens this time of year as coaches try to get as much work done on those next classes before they have to deal with the daily grind of the season in the fall.

LSU has picked up a few commits over the last couple of weeks and has even more visits lined up.

It’s a promising sign for Kelly’s program. Despite the current situation and how the last two seasons have played out, recruits are interested in coming to LSU. There’s real momentum right now and if the coaching staff can keep it up, the 2023 class will be in a great position.

It’s not just the fact that Kelly is picking up commits, but they’re coming at positions of need from states like Georgia and Texas, two places that you need to be able to pluck some players from to compete at the top of the SEC.

Here’s a rundown of each of the new additions to the class.

Sevyn Banks finds his transfer destination

Wishing Sevyn Banks well …

We now know where former Ohio State defensive back Sevyn Banks will be continuing his college career. After four years as a Buckeye — one of the COVID-19 variety in 2020 — Banks originally planned to enter the NFL draft after an injury-plagued 2021,  but then decided to enter the transfer portal and play one more year the NCAA allowed athletes because of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Banks announced that he’s headed to the Bayou to play for LSU for his final season of eligibility (hmm, where have we heard that before). He started all eight games in 2020 and was expected to be one of the best cornerbacks in the country, even showing up on some early first-round NFL mock drafts.

It’s unlikely Banks would have started for Ohio State with what’s coming back for the Buckeyes. Although still somewhat young, the defensive backfield has a lot of options and pieces that can be used in 2022.

Either way, we wish Banks nothing but the best down in Louisiana.

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What LSU could be getting from Ohio State transfer Sevyn Banks

LSU could be adding even more in the transfer portal with the potential addition of the Ohio State defensive back.

Few programs have hit the transfer portal as hard as LSU this cycle, and the Tigers might not be done.

Former Ohio State defensive back Sevyn Banks has been given a couple of crystal balls to LSU as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] looks to continue to build out the secondary.

Few position groups were hit as hard as the defensive backs in the last few months. [autotag]Eli Ricks[/autotag] transferred to Alabama and [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag] to Arkansas, while [autotag]Derek Stingley Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Cordale Flott[/autotag] declared for the NFL draft.

That left LSU with barely any experience at cornerback. Early in the cycle, it added [autotag]Greg Brooks[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], and [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], three guys that are expected to come in and compete right away, with Brooks especially impressing in the spring.

Banks was a four-star and top-300 recruit, and he spent four years at Ohio State, where he saw significant playing time the last three seasons.

His play was up and down, with Banks earning some poor grades from PFF over the last two years. However, in 2019, only two corners who played at least 150 snaps graded out higher than Banks.

Even though LSU has already added a good amount, it still needs some guys that can play on the outside. Brooks will be a contributor, but he’s a slot guy who can drop down into the box and be a free-range safety. Bernard-Converse and Garner can play on the outside, but LSU needs some depth there and Banks can provide that.

Though, it’s not just depth. Banks would likely have the opportunity to start. Garner, a Louisiana transfer, has yet to prove himself at the SEC level. So like Banks, Tiger fans don’t know exactly what they will get from him.

Ohio State is one of the top programs in the country. The Buckeyes are loaded with talent year in and year out. Seeing the field in Columbus is an accomplishment, and Banks saw it a lot over the last few years. He might not be a star, but he could be a good piece for LSU and Kelly to have around.

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