LSU has gotten a commitment from Ohio State transfer and Lakota West alumni Jyaire Brown, giving a boost to a secondary group that struggled heavily in 2023.
It’s now the third season in a row Brian Kelly and LSU have gotten a Transfer Portal cornerback from Ohio State, after getting Sevyn Banks and Jakailin Johnson in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Both of them would suffer season-ending injuries this season, with Banks declaring for the draft and leaving the team, whilst Johnson is set to return to the roster next fall.
Johnson will now be joined by Brown, an Ohio native who spent time in New Orleans during high school. After two seasons at Warren Easton High School, Brown transferred to Lakota West for his Junior and Senior seasons.
In his 2 seasons at Lakota West, Brown would amass 26 Tackles (22 solo and 4 assisted tackles), 2 fumble recoveries, and 5 interceptions in just 21 games.
Brown would be a key contributor to Lakota West, going 19-3 in his 2 seasons with the team. He would be ranked as the No. 202 overall prospect, No. 24 cornerback, and No. 9 Ohio recruit in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He arrived at Ohio State, choosing the Buckeyes over offers from other major programs such as Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas, among others.
Brown would go on to play 195 defensive snaps in 2022, the most of any Buckeyes true freshman that season, getting 4 solo tackles and 1 forced fumble.
In 2022, Brown ranked second in reception percentage (38.5%) among all Big Ten cornerbacks with at least 100 defensive snaps last season, according to PFF. Brown was targeted 13 times and gave up five catches for 61 yards. He was penalized just once, and he didn’t concede a single touchdown pass.
With the emergence of five-star cornerback Jermaine Matthews this fall, Brown saw the field for only 48 defensive snaps in 2023.
