Mekhi Garner (born January 11, 2000) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

cornerback who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the Navarro Bulldogs, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and LSU Tigers

Early life

Garner was born on January 11, 2000, in Dallas, Texas. He attended Poteet High School in Mesquite and played

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

, recording as a junior 39 tackles, six

pass breakups In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

, two

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

and a forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

. He initially committed to play

for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but eventually decided to begin his college career at Navarro.

College career

Garner spent his

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

year, 2018, at Navarro College. He appeared in 10 games, posting 48 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions and 0.5 tackles-for-loss. He joined the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns after one season at Navarro. In his first season there, Garner played two games and totaled four tackles. Originally a backup to begin the 2020 season, he was thrust into a starting role due to several players contracting COVID-19 and his performance there led to him remaining a starter. He finished the season with 11 games played, eight as a starter, with 27 tackles, three interceptions (second on the team), seven pass breakups (second on the team), one sack and one tackle-for-loss, being named honorable mention all-conference. In 2021, Garner played in 13 games, starting 11, and earned third-team All-

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

honors as he compiled 31 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble and a sack. He transferred to LSU in 2022. In his only season with the team, he posted 43 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and eight pass breakups while starting all 13 games. His eight pass breakups lead the team. Although Garner had a remaining year of eligibility, he opted to declare for the NFL draft while accepting an invitation to the East–West Shrine Bowl.

Professional career

After going unselected in the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...

, Garner signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 18, 2024. He was waived with an injury designation on August 17.

References

External links

LSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, Mekhi 2000 births Living people American football defensive backs Players of American football from Dallas Navarro Bulldogs football players Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football players LSU Tigers football players Philadelphia Eagles players