Defensive back transfer Denver Harris handling personal matters, Brian Kelly says

LSU cornerback Denver Harris is away from the team as he handles personal matters, head coach Brian Kelly confirmed on Wednesday. Harris has not been on campus too long, transferring in via Texas A&M. Harris could be back this weekend, according to Kelly.

There was a ton of excitement surrounding what Harris could bring to LSU. ESPN even named him one of the top 30 newcomers in the country, coming in at No. 13. The list included freshmen making their college football debuts and players at new programs through the NCAA transfer portal.

Per the On3 transfer portal rankings, Harris was the No. 13 player available this offseason. No other pure defensive back was ranked ahead of him, with Colorado‘s Travis Hunter being No. 1 and playing both sides of the ball.

Back during spring practice, Kelly explained the reasoning for adding Harris to the roster. Serving a suspension during his time with Texas A&M, there was some research done about the defensive back. Kelly said, at the time, Harris was a great fit for the program.

“Obviously we did a lot of research,” Kelly said, regarding Harris. “This was not a decision where we just said ‘Hey, here’s a great player.’ He had to fit. We felt like we did our due diligence in terms of his background.

“There’s an affiliation with LSU here with his family. He had a lot of people speak on his behalf. He had a number of interviews with (LSU defensive coordinator Matt House) and myself. Ultimately, the decision to take Harris came down to fit.”

Kelly was right about Harris being thought of as a good player. He played high school football at Houston (TX) North Shore, where he was a five-star prospect. Harris was the No. 23 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Harris was sought after as a recruit. While Texas A&M ultimately won out with their historic 2022 recruiting class — Alabama, LSU, and Texas were heavy in pursuit. The Aggies won out and thought they would have one of the best cornerbacks in the country on their roster for the next three to four years.