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Mekhi Wingo announced on Tuesday that he would give up his final year of eligibility and instead declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. The LSU defensive tackle released a message to his X account with the news:
You came to far you can’t look back you got to finish ??? pic.twitter.com/zhjfaFuH4p
— mekhi wingo (@WingoMekhi) January 2, 2024
Wingo, a St. Louis native, originally opted to stay close to home and sign with Missouri out of the class of 2021. He posted 27 tackles and 1.0 sacks and was an SEC All-Freshman selection in what turned out to be his lone season in Columbia.
He decided to enter the transfer portal, citing a desire to play somewhere with “a little more stability” in the coaching ranks. That place turned out to be LSU, where he joined Brian Kelly ahead of the former Notre Dame head coach’s initial season in Baton Rouge.
In 2022, he made 46 tackles, 6.0 tackles for a loss, and 3.0 sacks en route to 2nd-team All-SEC honors. As a junior in 2023, he totaled 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 7 games before an injury and subsequent surgery sidelined him for a number of weeks. He returned in time for the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday against Wisconsin, where he made 3 tackles and was credited with 2.5 sacks.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
