While much of the attention has been placed on LSU’s new starting quarterback in 2024, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], perhaps the even bigger question revolves around who he’ll be throwing to.
The Tigers lost their top two pass-catchers from last year in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], and while there’s talent on the roster, replacing two of the nation’s most productive receivers isn’t going to be easy.
The obvious next-man-up is [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], who enters his fifth season of college football poised to be the top option after turning in a productive 2023 season despite not seeing as many targets as Nabers and Thomas.
“I don’t think you look towards one player,” coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Monday at SEC Media Days per On3. “I think when we look at our football team in its totality, there will be a number of players that we’ll count on. Kyren Lacey, he will be certainly a player that we lean on. But I think at the wide receiver position, there is probably six to eight players that will get the opportunity to contribute and make an impact.”
Kelly also mentioned [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] as a returning player who could break out, while he’s optimistic about the transfer additions of [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], a 1,000-yard receiver at Liberty last season, and [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag], who also served as a return specialist at Mississippi State.
“I think that’s what I like about our receiving corps more than anything else, is the depth,” Kelly said. “I think we’ve got speed on the perimeter. Chris Hilton showed that in our bowl game against Wisconsin, his ability to track the ball down the field. I think we’ve got the ability to play inside out at the slot receiver position. I think we’ve got great depth there.
“We brought in CJ Daniels, I think he will help us. Zavion [Thomas] will help us, transfer from Mississippi State. I think we brought in the right mix of players to give us the depth necessary inside and out to make up for that lost production.”
The Tigers are optimistic about Nussmeier’s potential given his talent and the flashes of strong processing that he has shown when he’s seen game action. But that won’t matter if he doesn’t have playmakers in the passing game, which Kelly seems to be confident he does.
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