LSU cornerback Denver Harris, a coveted transfer from Texas A&M, is on track to return to the team while he deals with a "personal matter," coach Brian Kelly said Wednesday. Harris had a "pretty big role" in a post-practice altercation on Aug. 7, according to 247Sports, and missed the most recent practices Monday and Tuesday.
"If he takes care of everything, could have him back this weekend," Kelly said.
Ranked the No. 7 cornerback in the 2022 class by 247Sports, Harris transferred from Texas A&M after appearing in 10 games during his true freshman campaign. His best performance of the season came in a near-upset win over Alabama in Week 6 when he recorded a career-high four tackles. He was the No. 2 overall player available in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.
Harris' freshman year in College Station was marred by a pair of suspensions. The first, caused by a violation of team rules, came before Texas A&M faced Miami in Week 3. The second was a "locker room incident" that occurred after a Week 8 loss to South Carolina.
Harris was LSU's highest-ranked transfer addition. He is expected to provide some much-needed help to a Tigers secondary that struggled at times last year. Along with Harris, fellow transfers Zy Alexander (Southeastern Louisiana) and JK Johnson (Ohio State) are competing for one of the team's two starting cornerback spots.
The Tigers head into Kelly's second season with the program with lofty expectations. They checked in at No. 5 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. LSU opens the season against No. 8 Florida State on Sept. 3 in the only matchup between top-10 programs that week.
