LSU's JK Johnson will miss 2023 season with leg injury
LSU needed cornerback depth this offseason, which led the Tigers to the addition of Ohio State transfer JK Johnson out of the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Johnson was one of four cornerbacks LSU added through the portal, but his 2023 season was cut short before it began.
On Wednesday, LSU head coach Brian Kelly said an injury suffered during camp resulted in Johnson having surgery that will sideline him until after the regular season.
Johnson undergoes successful surgery
Johnson suffered the leg injury in fall camp, which Kelly told media was a fracture that would sideline him indefinitely.
“That’s got to get set,” Kelly said in August. “That looks to be a long-term situation that he’s going to be out.”
During Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference, Kelly updated Johnson’s status as the Tigers prepare for a week three matchup at Mississippi State.
“That’s a long-term injury,” Kelly said. “His surgery was successful, but any chance of getting him back would be sometime in December. Maybe later.
“I think that’s what we’re looking at right now.”
Johnson transferred to LSU after spending two seasons at Ohio State. He appeared in 15 games for the Buckeyes, making five starts against Big Ten opponents. All but two of Johnson’s 22 career tackles came during the 2022 season when he logged five starts during Ohio State’s run to the College Football Playoff.
Johnson left high school in Missouri ranked as the No. 54 overall prospect and No. 4 cornerback recruit in the 2022 class according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
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The status of LSU’s cornerback room for 2023
Johnson joined Texas A&M’s Denver Harris, Southeastern’s Zy Alexander and Syracuse’s Duce Chestnut as the four transfer cornerbacks the Tigers added this offseason. LSU returned just one scholarship cornerback from the 2022 roster in sophomore Laterrance Welch.
Alexander and Chestnut got the majority of reps in fall camp, and both played plenty for the Tigers in the loss to Florida State. The pair were joined by Sage Ryan as the trio of cornerbacks LSU rotated in against the Seminoles.
In a week two blowout win over Grambling State, LSU’s staff shook things up.
Harris, who didn’t travel for the opener in Orlando, was in the starting 11 on defense. He was joined by Alexander, who has now started in both games this season.
LSU also got a look at freshman cornerback Ashton Stamps, who worked his way into second-team reps during fall camp. Welch also saw double-digit snaps, and freshman Jeremiah Hughes made his college debut at cornerback with a handful of snaps. Meanwhile, Chestnut – a starter in the opener – saw just one snap.
With SEC play set to begin for LSU on Saturday in Starkville, which direction will the Tigers turn? Alexander is likely to remain a starter at cornerback, and Kelly said this week that Harris has made strides towards earning a starting spot.
From there, the next group up will shuffle out in the coming weeks as Chestnut, Ryan, Stamps, Welch and Hughes battle for playing time at the position.
