LSU Football enters the 2022 season with a revamped team, and the way Brian Kelly did it was by using the transfer portal.
After snagging 16 players and acquiring the third-best transfer class in the country according to 247 Sports, there is a lot of talent on this team, such as Jayden Daniels, Noah Cain and Jarrick Benard-Converse. But with so many big names, there are players bound to fly under the radar who can still make a huge impact.
Greg Brooks Jr.
The first player is a transfer from Arkansas. Rather than his longtime teammate Joe Foucha, it’s the other talented defensive back, Greg Brooks Jr.. Brooks is a versatile defensive back on the field. He can fly to the ball, make tackles in the open field and can play good man coverage as well. For a player who stands in at 5-foot-10, 187 pounds, he makes a big impact on the field.
The Louisiana native is coming into the 2022 season after obtaining 47 tackles, four pass deflections and an interception from the 2021 season.
A lot of talent was lost in the secondary and people still have questions all around, but with the addition of Brooks, an all-around defensive back that is off people’s radar, LSU is hoping to have those questions answered shortly.
Mekhi Garner
The hidden gems continue to shine in the secondary with the newly added Mekhi Garner from Louisiana-Lafayette. When it comes to LSU’s 2022 secondary, all eyes are on Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Foucha and Jay Ward. However, for a player who seems to be a consensus top-three defensive back on the roster, he doesn’t get as much attention as he should.
The junior from Lafayette, Louisiana is coming to LSU with All-Sun Belt Third Team Defense honors, 31 tackles, eight pass deflections and a forced fumble last season. The lanky 6-foot-2 corner who is built like a wide receiver has been getting a lot of attention in camp before the season starts with his lockdown defense and is looking to be a and is looking to take a starting spot next to Bernard-Converse.
LSU dipped in the transfer portal all off-season long looking for experience and talent at the same time. Grabbing Garner from a neighboring school at UL-Lafayette was a real steal for this defense.
Tre’Mond Shorts
It comes as no surprise that LSU’s offensive line needed help after the past two seasons. Kelly once again took his talents to the transfer portal and snagged a player that not many people knew. That player is offensive lineman Tre’Mond Shorts from East Tennessee State University. Shorts comes in at a staggering 6-foot-5, 340 pounds from Hampton, Georgia, and started41 out 43 of his games at ETSU before transferring.
Shorts came to LSU with an impressive resume including, 2021 Second Team FCS All-America honors, 2021 Third Team FCS All-America honors and 2021 First Team All-Southern Conference honors along with being a key contributor to two 1,000-yard rushers on the team .
The competition in the FCS may not be as recognized as the FBS, but there is no doubt that Shorts will have an impact on the LSU front line. With talented running backs and quarterbacks and only needing a solid offensive line to let them work, bringing in a player like Shorts with experience and accolades will help the position players.
