Former standout FCS transfer cornerback could become immediate starter for LSU football

It wasn’t long ago that former FCS transfer cornerback Zy Alexander was just some unknown recruit from Loreauville, LA. Coming out of high school, he was a zero-star, two-sport athlete who would commit to playing football for Southeastern Louisiana University. Now, heading into the 2023 season, Alexander has joined LSU football through the transfer portal and could start for the Tigers in his first season in Baton Rouge.

LSU football found a good one in former FCS transfer cornerback Zy Alexander

What a journey it’s been for new LSU football cornerback Zy Alexander. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound junior out of Loreauville, LA, wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school, as he was unrated, according to 247 Sports in the class of 2021.

However, he boosted his stock through three seasons of college football. When joining the transfer portal earlier this offseason, not only was he receiving attention from some of the top programs in the country, but he was officially rated as the No. 5 cornerback in the portal.

This was for good reason, as he was dominant, pure and simple, as a cornerback for Southeastern University. In his past two seasons with the Lions, he recorded 31 tackles, five passes deflected and an impressive nine interceptions.

More Zy Alexander highlights pic.twitter.com/0f4QGFWPIt

— Drunk Brian Kelly (@FauxLes) August 7, 2023

Now, he’s officially a Tiger, and early signs show that this could be an excellent thing for all parties involved. Through fall camp, Alexander has consistently been one of the top three cornerbacks in the Tigers’ rotation, with junior Duce Chestnut and redshirt sophomore Sage Ryan also getting significant first-team reps.

There’s plenty of unknown with the LSU football defensive backs. However, if Zy Alexander proves to be a worthy transfer portal pickup, it could be big for coach Brian Kelly’s defense.

Head coach Brian Kelly has been impressed with Alexander throughout the offseason

To garner hype in the offseason is one thing. If you’re garnering praise from your head coach, though, that’s a whole different story.

Lucky for former FCS transfer cornerback Zy Alexander, he fits in more with the latter. Several big-name transfer cornerbacks joined the LSU football program in the offseason. However, Alexander has undoubtedly been one of the most impressive.

Coach Brian Kelly has been particularly impressed with him so far, speaking highly of the junior cornerback to the media recently.

“Yeah, I think the first thing is he’s a guy who’s trustworthy. He does the little things the right way; he’s a guy that takes care of his work off the field, on time, reliable. Those traits, as we know, they’re transferable. And so, at that position, that’s what you’re looking for,” Kelly explained to the media.

Furthermore, Kelly noted that Alexander has experience in several positions on the football field.

“And then he brings length, athleticism, and we’ve seen him be a guy that’s not afraid to stick his nose in there, even though he played quarterback in high school,” Kelly continued. “And he’s physically developing and getting stronger. We like his willingness to go in there and want to tackle, and I think we saw on Saturday he’s got the nose for a football, too. When it’s in the air, he’s gonna go up and find it, and he can catch it.”

With Alexander’s stock continuing to rise heading into the 2023 college football season, it bodes well for the Tigers. Things start hot with a matchup versus Florida State, which has one of the best wide receiver groups in the country. We’ll get an early view of how Brian Kelly’s defensive backs hold up when they open the season this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CST in Orlando.

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