Brian Kelly explains decision to add Sevyn Banks through transfer portal

After spending four seasons at Ohio State, Sevyn Banks is now settled in at LSU and will suit up for the Tigers in 2022. A former On3 Consensus four-star cornerback, Banks recorded some solid production while at Ohio State and brings plenty of experience to Baton Rouge, which will undoubtedly help new head coach Brian Kelly’s squad this coming season.

A 6-foot-1, 200-pound defender, Banks tallied 43 total tackles – in addition to a pair of interceptions – over four seasons at Ohio State. As a senior with the Buckeyes in 2021, Banks made eight tackles while playing in just four games before suffering a knee injury that forced him to be sidelined.

Following the season, Banks made the decision to enter his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal and ultimately landed at LSU. Meeting with the media on Thursday, Kelly was asked about his decision to add Banks to the Tigers’ roster and how it happened.

“I mean, he’s a starter in the Big Ten before he got injured,” Kelly said of Banks. “Kerry Coombs coached him. … Kerry was my defensive backs coach at Cincinnati. Kerry loved him. When you have somebody that you know so well that can speak directly about his character and who he is and what kind of player he was, then it’s up to our medical staff. We got a positive medical report from our doctors.

“Once I felt comfortable after talking to Kerry about who he was, what kind of player he was, we liked him on campus. We really liked who he was as a person and how he handled himself and his family. Then it’s got to go through the doctors – the kind of injury he had, when he can be ready, all those things. Once we got a positive report from the medical team, then it was an easy decision on our part.”

Although Banks is still recovering from his injury, he should be able to be back on the field by the start of fall camp and ready to make an impact for LSU during the 2022 campaign.