Explaining how cornerback became a concern for LSU
LSU is looking to restore its rich tradition at the cornerback position by bringing Corey Raymond back this season. A former cornerback for the Tigers himself from 1987-91, Raymond later joined the LSU staff in 2012 working with the defensive backs.
He changed his title specifically to cornerbacks coach in 2017. Raymond worked with countless future NFL cornerbacks such as Tre’Davious White, Derek Stingley Jr., Donte Jackson and more.
Raymond left Baton Rouge in 2021 after coach Ed Orgeron was let go and spent the past two season at Florida. However, after ranking 13th in the SEC and 118th in the country in passing defense this past season, Brian Kelly opted to go back to what was working prior to his arrival.
Billy Embody of the Bengal Tiger joined On3‘s Andy Staples to discuss how not having Raymond the past couple of season has affected LSU and what to expect with the reunion.
“This is where Brian Kelly took some time to adjust along with his staff that he put in place,” he said. “The floor was so high for defensive backs when Corey Raymond was there and continuing on that legacy of DBU that, when you miss, you really didn’t miss badly on players. There were some defensive backs at LSU that caught some grief for not being that level that they expect of a DBU-caliber player. Now the floor with Corey Raymond back can at least be built up.”
Although getting Raymond back is a positive sign for the future, change won’t happen overnight. The Tigers have brought in just one transfer cornerback this offseason in former Ohio State player Jyaire Brown. However, he brings limited experience across the past two seasons with the Buckeyes.
LSU’s incoming freshman class features four-star cornerback Ju’Juan Johnson as well as three-star PJ Woodland. It’s clear it could again be a struggle this season unless one of these players step up to surprise. Otherwise, Raymond will need to identify players on the recruiting trail who can help.
“LSU for a while didn’t take many corners that were under 6-foot,” Embody explained. “That was Corey Raymond’s M.O. Six-foot, long, can run, just need to add some weight to them. That was kind of what they looked for and they hit on them whether it was blue-chip guys or developmental players. So that floor and that expectation recruiting-wise kind of went away for a couple of years. Then you factor in missing on some portal takes like Denver Harris and a couple of others and you’re in a complete nightmare situation at corner.
“Even now, there’s a lot of buzz around PJ Woodland coming out of the spring as a true freshman or moving a Michael Turner, who’s a signee, to defensive back and letting him go. There’s a lot of hope, but not many of these guys really look like what we’re used to seeing at corner for LSU. So they’re gonna have to prove some of us wrong.”
It’s clear there is a long road ahead to get back to where LSU would like to be at cornerback, but with Corey Raymond leading the way, there’s belief it can get there.