Tag: Aaron Anderson

Pro Football Focus ranks LSU’s receiver group in the top 10 nationally

Headlined by Malik Nabers, this should be one of the better receiving corps in college football this season.

A lot of the hype surrounding LSU’s offense this offseason has to do with returning quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who is viewed as a potential Heisman candidate.

However, much of the reason expectations are so high for Daniels is a talented receiving corps that returns a lot of key pieces from a year ago. Headlined by [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who led the SEC in receptions and finished second in receiving yards in 2022, this could be one of the top wideout units in college football.

There were some losses, but Nabers is still joined by a group that includes Kyren Lacey, [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], [autotag]Landon Ibieta[/autotag] and Alabama transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag], in addition to several true freshmen.

Pro Football Focus ranked that group eighth nationally.

The leader of LSU’s receiving corps is Malik Nabers, who’s a top-five wide receiver in college football and is a monster after the catch. His 21 forced missed tackles on receptions in 2022 was fifth among Power Five receivers.

Mason Taylor also returns at tight end after a stellar true freshman season. Last year, his 217 yards after the catch were only behind Brock Bowers among SEC tight ends. The Tigers also bring back Brian Thomas Jr. and Kyren Lacy, who were the No. 4 and No. 5 receivers a year ago. Aaron Anderson also transferred in from Alabama and was the No. 4 wide receiver recruit in the 2022 class.

As for the 2023 cycle, LSU brings in a couple of top-100 recruits in wide receivers Jalen Brown and Shelton Sampson Jr.

Though not a wideout, Taylor is a major weapon in the passing offense as well and could be poised for a breakout season as a true sophomore. Brown and Sampson could be candidates to make an impact as true freshmen, as well.

This is a promising group, and it should allow Daniels to lead one of the better passing offenses in the country.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 1 Aaron Anderson

The Alabama transfer could be a major addition for LSU’s receiving corps.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’re taking a look at one of the biggest additions the Tigers made in the transfer portal, former Alabama receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag]. Injuries limited the former five-star’s impact as a true freshman in 2022, but the New Orleans could prove to be a major addition to LSU’s receiver room this fall.

Aaron Anderson Preseason Player Profile

LSU receives prediction for 4-star 2024 wide receiver

Jelani Watkins could be heading to Baton Rouge, based on this recent projection.

On3 LSU insider Shea Dixon has predicted that 2024 four-star wide receiver Jelani Watkins will commit to LSU.

Watkins is a 5-foot-9, 150-pound speedster from Houston where he plays for Klein Forest High School. Watkins holds offers from multiple Division I schools, and Texas A&M, Oregon and Michigan were all considered to be in the running to land him.

LSU currently has three wide receiver commitments for the 2024 class, four-stars [autotag]Joseph Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag], and three-star [autotag]Kylan Billiot[/autotag]. The Tigers class currently ranks as the No. 8 class in the country according to 247Sports.

With [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and possibly [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] moving on after next fall, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is trying to find some guys that can fill the void that those two players will leave.

There are promising guys on the team already ([autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]) who can try to fill those roles, but you never know if any players will live up to their full potential.

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LSU’s transfer portal class could put the team in College Football Playoff contention

LSU has been able to acquire a lot of talent through the transfer portal under Brian Kelly.

Since the advent of the transfer portal, the entire strategy behind roster-building has shifted.

Now, coaches can turn bad situations around much quicker, and contenders can take the leap from good to great with just a couple of additions. LSU will be one of the teams hoping to do just that this fall.

After bringing in a lot of veteran transfers last offseason, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has done the same this time around. The team was particularly active on defense, bringing in [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag]. But the offense added promising Power Five position players like receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and running back [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag].

On3’s Jesse Simonton listed the Tigers’ transfer portal class as one that could impact the College Football Playoff race.

Brian Kelly doesn’t want to live long-term via the transfer portal, but the former Notre Dame head coach has used the outlet as a way to beef up LSU’s roster his first two seasons in Baton Rouge.

The SEC West champs added 13 transfers to the roster during the 2023 cycle.

For the second straight autumn, the Tigers’ secondary will feature a whole new host of faces, with Denver Harris, a former 5-star recruit from Texas A&M, Darian ‘Duce’ Chestnut, a Freshman All-American in 2021 from Syracuse, Ohio State backup corner Jakailin Johnson and Zy Alexander, an FCS All-American who had nine picks in two seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, all competing for starting spots.

All-Pac 12 transfer Omar Speights will pair with Harold Perkins to form one of the top 1-2 LB tandems in the country, while Maryland tackle Mason Lunsford (a 13-game starter last season) is a great addition to an offensive line that returns all five starters in 2023.

The Tigers also signed several quality defensive linemen/edge defenders who figure to compete for playing time this fall.

Two potential game-changing transfers on offense are former Alabama speedster Aaron Anderson, a New Orleans native, and Notre Dame tailback Logan Diggs.

Running back was a question mark for LSU entering the summer, but the recent addition of Diggs, who signed with Kelly in 2021 and had over 1,000 total yards as a sophomore in 2022) fills a real need.

With the rest of its returning roster + notable additions like Speights and Diggs, LSU has the makeup of a College Football Playoff team. Whether the Tigers can win the SEC West again and crack the field will likely depend on how a reshuffled secondary shakes out — starting in Week 1 in a monster game vs. FSU.

The Tigers certainly added a lot of new pieces, but this team should be talented once again after a surprisingly successful 10-win season in 2022.

LSU will hope these additions are enough to take yet another leap in 2023.

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LSU boasts one of the nation’s best receiver units entering 2023 season

On3 ranked LSU’s receiving corps third in the country behind Ohio State and Texas.

LSU returns a lot of production from a year ago, especially on offense. But perhaps no position group on the entire team enters the 2023 campaign with higher expectations than the receiving corps.

Though the unit lost two main contributors to the draft in [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] (as well as [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] in the transfer portal), this group brings back leading receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] as well as productive players like [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], who had a massive spring game.

[autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag] is also back from a season-ending injury last year, and the Tigers added Alabama transfer and former five-star prospect [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag]. They also signed a pair of blue-chip true freshmen.

With all these pieces and a quarterback with four years of starting experience to throw them the ball, expectations are high for the LSU passing game. On3’s Jesse Simonton ranked the unit third in the country behind only Ohio State and Texas.

One of the reasons folks are high on the Tigers in 2023 is their stacked set of playmakers at receiver.

Malik Nabers led the SEC in receiving last season, and could be even better this fall with the growth of quarterback Jayden Daniels. Other headliners in LSU’s wideout room include Brian Thomas, Kyren Lacy, a spring standout, Chris Hilton and Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson.

The Tigers also have a pair of Top-100 freshmen signees pushing for playing time in Jalen Brown and Shelton Sampson.

With Nabers potentially poised to become one of the best receivers in the country and [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]’ emergence toward the end of last season, it’s understandable why many think this group could take a leap forward this season.

Alabama has a lot of questions as it has to replace a number of players including two of the top three picks in the 2023 NFL draft. If LSU’s passing game is as good as advertised, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] could have this team in a position to repeat as SEC West champions.

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LSU an obvious winner from the first transfer portal window

The Tigers’ transfer haul currently ranks third nationally.

Every coach is learning on the fly to an extent when it comes to the new reality brought upon by the transfer portal, but [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is adjusting better than most.

He landed one of the nation’s best transfer classes last offseason, and after reaching 10 wins with that group, he’s using the portal to retool once again. LSU once again aggressively went after help in the secondary, landing four game-ready corners, and the Tigers also landed former five-star Alabama receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] in addition to Oregon State linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], a First Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022.

With those additions, LSU boasts the No. 3 transfer portal class in the country, per the 247Sports transfer rankings, and 247 named the Tigers one of the winners from the initial window.

The Tigers have gone heavy in the transfer portal for the second season in a row. And while they’ve had nice additions outside of the secondary, I really want to zero in on the team’s cornerback takes. LSU didn’t just land one impact corner. The Tigers brought in FOUR. Here’s the breakdown:

Denver Harris – No. 3 overall prospect, No. 2 cornerback
Zy Alexander – No. 16 overall prospect, No. 4 cornerback
Duce Chestnut – No. 63 overall prospect, No. 8 cornerback
JK Johnson – Transfer portal rating of 91

LSU had to be aggressive in the portal last year fixing its cornerback room after several notable departures. This class did much the same, only it added future depth as well. There are plug-and-play experienced players, like Chestnut and Alexander, with young, talented pieces like Harris and Johnson also coming over with multiple remaining years of eligibility.

Note: The article from 247Sports was written prior to Speights’ addition on Thursday.

The Tigers have proven they can be successful with transfer additions, and with a number of veterans moving on, this team will look to transfers to make a major impact once again.

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Where Kayshon Boutte’s departure leaves LSU’s receiver group in 2023

The Tigers should be alright at receiver next fall, even without Boutte.

Wednesday was a strange day on the [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] front for LSU.

After his surprise decision on Dec. 5 to forgo the opportunity to go pro and return to the Tigers in 2023, Boutte reversed course and declared for the NFL draft. Earlier in the day, LSU announced that Boutte would not play in the Citrus Bowl vs. Purdue on Jan. 2 but was still enrolled in spring classes.

Boutte returning to LSU in 2023 always felt a bit too good to be true. The junior was considered one of the top receiver prospects in college football entering the season after a monster campaign in 2021 that was cut short due to injury after six games.

He never developed a strong connection with [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] this fall and his production dropped, though he still had 538 yards and two touchdowns on 48 catches.

Getting Boutte back in an already talented receiver room would have given the Tigers one of the top corps in college football, but the outlook is far from bleak, even without him.

Though the team loses role players [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] (transfer portal) and [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] (NFL draft), the Tigers will return leading receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who had a breakout campaign as a true sophomore. He finished with 63 catches for 854 yards and two touchdowns, and he should be Daniels’ favorite target once more.

LSU also brings back [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who only had 330 yards on 27 catches but found the end zone four times, and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], a Louisiana transfer who saw an increased role down the stretch. [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] should also return to the group after missing much of the 2022 season with a shoulder injury.

That doesn’t even take the new additions into account. LSU landed one of the top receivers in the transfer portal in [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag], a former five-star recruit who was once committed to the Tigers. Anderson made a minimal impact as a true freshman at Alabama in 2022, and the New Orleans native has returned to his home state.

We also can’t forget the pair of recently signed top-100 prospects in [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], who could each make an impact as true freshmen in 2023.

There’s no way to sugarcoat Boutte’s loss. He’s one of the game’s most talented receivers at this level, and his departure will hurt. But this is a receiving corps that certainly has the talent and depth to handle that loss.

Daniels should have no shortage of targets in the passing game next fall.

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Tigers announce the addition of 7 transfers

The Tigers brought in an impressive group of transfers on Friday.

LSU coach Brian Kelly said he didn’t want to take away from high school early signing day by formally announcing transfer portal additions, but several had already been made public, and we knew that the Tigers would be looking to add several players.

On Friday, seven of those transfer decisions were made public.

The haul is highlighted by a pair of former five-stars in receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], 2022 prospects who come in after one season at Alabama and Texas A&M, respectively. Otherwise, the Tigers filled a major need by adding several defensive lineman.

Here’s the full group of players that were formally announced by LSU on Friday.

Five LSU recruiting targets to keep an eye on as the early signing period nears

The Tigers are looking for a strong close to an already good recruiting class.

We are only a few days away from the beginning of the early signing period on Wednesday, and the 2023 class is shaping up to be a phenomenal one for LSU.

The class was already ranked as the No. 5 class in the country before [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] committed, and now the Alabama wideout transfer has added a former five-star to the mix. The Tigers have a chance to land a few more guys as well.

A couple of them will be signing on Thursday in cornerback [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Jordan Hall[/autotag] — two really talented guys on the defensive side of the ball. LSU is considered the favorite for Ricks while Georgia seems to lead for Hall, but anything can happen.

Here are five prospects for Tigers fans to watch as the 2023 class winds to a close.

LSU lands massive transfer portal commitment from former Alabama receiver

The Tigers landed Aaron Anderson, a New Orleans native and one-time LSU commit.

When Aaron Anderson was initially coming out of high school, the former five-star wide receiver was committed to LSU for a while before flipping his commitment to Alabama late in the process.

Now, Anderson is coming home.

He announced via Twitter on Sunday that he is headed back to the boot to play for [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers. Anderson played his high school ball at Edna Karr in New Orleans, so he will be right at home in Tiger Stadium.

This commitment makes Anderson the No. 26 commitment of the 2023 recruiting class and the first recruit the Tigers have gotten from the transfer portal.

We are three days away from the early signing period, and it looks like this class could be legendary. It is currently ranked as the No. 5 class in the country, but signing a former five-star wide receiver will boost that rating. Not to mention, there could be more commits on the way.

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