Going into the 2022 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.
This time around, we’ll take a look at yet another transfer who could play a major role in the secondary in Mekhi Garner, who comes in from Louisiana. He earned Third Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2021, and he arrives at LSU looking to compete for a starting spot on the outside.
Mekhi Garner Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Mesquite, Texas
Ht: 6-2
Wt: 215
247Sports Composite Ranking
Unrated (JUCO)
Class in 2021: Junior
Career Stats
Year
G
Total
Solo
TFL
FF
PD
INT
2019
2
5
4
0
1
0
0
2020
11
27
22
1
1
10
3
2021
13
31
21
2.5
1
8
0
PFF Grades
Year
Defense
Run Defense
Tackling
Pass Rushing
Coverage
2019
59.8
75.0
79.8
–
54.5
2020
76.3
75.0
76.5
66.5
74.7
2021
76.1
60.5
64.1
61.7
79.1
Depth Chart Overview
Garner has certainly had a winding career path to get to this point. A fifth-year junior, his career began in JUCO in 2018 before he signed with the Ragin’ Cajuns and then-coach Billy Napier. He spent the last three seasons in Lafayette and registered two impressive campaigns as a starter.
The best was his year in 2020, where he totaled 10 pass breakups and three interceptions. However, he registered a career-high in tackles in 2021, as well as his best career coverage grade from PFF.
He was a big portal pickup for Kelly this offseason, as many thought he would follow Napier to Florida instead. He’ll look to compete for a starting spot on the outside, and he’s likely to start opposite fellow transfer addition Jarrick Bernard-Converse. He could face competition from Damarius McGhee and safety Jordan Toles, who saw some work on the outside this spring.
Still, Garner should enter fall camp in a good position to win a starting…
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