Denver Harris returns to LSU practice after time away

After missing the past week of practices, LSU cornerback Denver Harris returned to the field on Saturday for the final practice of fall camp in Baton Rouge.

Earlier this week, LSU head coach Brian Kelly said Harris was away from the team as he handled “personal matters”.

“If he takes care of everything, we could have him back this weekend,” Kelly said on Wednesday.

Now, Harris is back with the Tigers as the focus turns to practices next week in preparation for the season opener against Florida State on Sep. 3.

Denver Harris status remains uncertain as fall camp ends

Harris has been on LSU’s campus since January, and he participated in spring and summer workouts with the team.

The former five-star recruited signed with Texas A&M in the 2022 class, but he ran into multiple road bumps while in College Station.

Harris was suspended from the team’s opener against Miami in September 2022 after missing curfew. In late-October, Harris was part of a group of players who were suspended indefinitely following an alleged incident in the locker room following a game.

He never returned to the field for the Aggies after that, and on December 2, Harris entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.

20 days later, the former five-star prospect committed to LSU.

While he missed half the season in College Station, Harris still managed to make an immediate splash.

He was named to the On3 2022 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team in October 2022. At the time, Harris had played 211 snaps for the Aggies and surrendered just four completions on 11 targets for just 28 yards. On the four completions, Harris gave up just one yard after the catch.

After Harris transferred from Texas A&M to LSU, Kelly opened up on the decision to bring the former North Shore High standout onto the roster in Baton Rouge.

“Obviously we did a lot of research,” Kelly said in the spring. “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.

“We felt that with the culture we have put together, he would make it here. The culture is really strong. It’s proven to be that he’s done well early on, and he has no choice. He has to make it. Here’s a guy that’s been given a second chance. And we feel like because of the circumstances, the culture is strong, and he knows this is really his last chance at an SEC opportunity, that it was worth the risk.”

LSU’s outlook at cornerback for the 2023 season

Even with Harris back with the team, the sophomore has yet to see first-team reps during fall camp, splitting reps between the second-team and third-team across the month of August.

LSU’s first-team cornerbacks have been Southeastern transfer Zy Alexander and Syracuse transfer Duce Chestnut.

The backups have been a rotation of different players, though sophomore Laterrance Welch – the team’s lone returning scholarship cornerback – and true freshman Ashton Stamps saw second-team reps this week.

Other available cornerbacks on roster include freshmen Jeremiah Hughes and Sage Ryan, with Ryan cross-training at both nickel and corner.

Ohio State transfer JK Johnson, one of four transfer cornerbacks the Tigers added to the roster this offseason, is set to miss extended amount time with a leg injury.