Tag: Brian Thomas Jr

QB Garrett Nussmeier says LSU’s receiver room is filled with ‘dogs’

Garrett Nussmeier isn’t worried about replacing the production of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.

LSU suffers a lot of losses on offense entering 2024. Not only is quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] moving on to the NFL, but he’s joined by his top two receivers from 2023 in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]

Most outside observers would expect some regression on that side of the ball this offseason, but new quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] disagrees. Speaking to reporters at the Manning Passing Academy, he describes LSU’s receiver room — bolstered by a pair of offseason transfer additions in [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] — as being filled with “dogs.”

In addition to returning players like [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], Nussmeier also praised the offensive line, which many expect to be the nation’s best this fall.

“No doubt. With Chris Hilton, Kyren (Lacy), CJ (Daniels), Zavion (Thomas), Kyle Parker, the list goes on and on,” Nussmeier said. “And I hate naming guys because I always leave someone out on accident, but all of our room, the entire receiver room is just a bunch of dogs, and it’s one of the reasons that played into my decision to come to LSU, along with many other things.

“But you know if I go to LSU, I’m always going to have some dogs. This state produces receivers and DBs like no other. So it’s huge, and then you go on top of that with the offensive line we have, it’s going to be able to give me time to get them the ball, and that’s my job. To just let playmakers make plays, and we have a lot of them, so I’m excited.”

Replacing the production of Nabers and Thomas won’t be easy, but LSU’s new signal-caller clearly thinks the roster has the talent to do so.

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Anonymous coach thinks Blake Baker will quickly turn around LSU’s defense

Anonymous coaches chimed in about the expectations for the Tigers in 2024.

LSU boasted one of the best offenses in college football last season, but in spite of that, it was an overall disappointing campaign as the team finished 10-3 and failed to repeat as SEC West champions.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] knows that unit needs to be remedied, and to try to accomplish that, the Tigers moved on from defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag] and brought in [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag], who previously held the same role at Missouri.

Only time will tell how Baker’s unit performs in 2024, but it seems coaches around the country are high on him. Several spoke anonymously for Lindy’s Sports’ preseason college football preview magazine, and one said he expects Baker to turn around the Tigers’ defense in short order.

“They changed defensive coordinators (from Matt House to Blake Baker) and I’m not sure House’s style worked. It was all over the place, a lot of exchange responsibilities. Hence, a lot of busts,” one coach said, per On3. “It’s going to be interesting (in 2024 with Baker) because it’s a major difference. Sometimes you need to cut it back, you need to simplify… But Baker is a phenomenal D-coordinator, and he should get that remedied really quickly.”

Another coach spoke highly about the Tigers’ offense, which he expects to remain explosive despite losing Heisman winner [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and top two receivers [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]

“LSU is kind of like Tennessee in the ‘70s and ’80s. They’re losing great receivers, but they got two coming in better than the ones they lost. And I’m talking about premier receivers, not just good ones,” a coach said.

LSU is hoping to compete for a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, and while they now have a wider margin for error, they’ll also need to improve in several areas across the board. Defense is one of them, but there’s reason to belive it could be better, as echoed by these coaches.

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Phil Steele lists LSU as a potential surprise team in 2024

LSU has the chance to surprise some people in 2024.

With the Heisman winner in [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and his top two receivers, [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], moving on, as well as a defense that was one of the SEC’s worst in 2023, there’s reason to believe LSU could be due for a step back this season.

Still, there’s also reason for hope. [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] has impressed in limited action to this point in his career, and the receiver room is far from bare. The Tigers lost some pieces on defense but added a few as well and will hope that new defensive coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] improves things.

With that in mind, Phil Steele listed LSU as the No. 8 squad in his list of the top 10 surprise teams in 2024. Here’s On3’s take on that.

LSU loses their reigning Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and his top two wideouts from last year, all of which were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. But Steele thinks the Tigers have the roster, and maybe more importantly the schedule, to be in the CFP mix.

The Tigers avoid matchups with Georgia, Texas, and Missouri this season, with all of their SEC road games coming against teams that had losing records last year. As quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will look to follow the footsteps of Jayden Daniels after winning his first career start and the MVP of the ReliaQuest Bowl to finish last season.

Not many expect the Tigers to compete for a national title this fall, but with an expanded playoff, they could find their way into the CFP for the first time since 2019 if the chips fall in the right spots.

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CBS sports lists LSU WR Kyren Lacy as an underrated NFL draft prospect

CBS Sports names Kyren Lacy one of 2025’s most underrated draft prospects.

LSU wide receiver [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] continues to generate hype leading into the 2024 college football season. With [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] in the NFL, Lacy has a chance to be LSU’s leading receiver.

Phil Steele recently put Lacy on his preseason All-SEC First Team. If he has a year like that, he’ll shoot up NFL draft boards next spring.

CBS Sports put out a list with one underrated draft prospect on each top 25 team with Lacy getting the nod for LSU.

“Lacy is poised for a breakout season thanks to his excellent size, speed, and ball skills,” CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer wrote, “He knows how to use his body to shield defenders and also has some wiggle. When he has the ball in his hands, he’s tough to tackle one-on-one and has the ability to take it the distance. Big-time talent.”

Last fall, Lacy ranked 13th nationally among qualified receivers with 18.6 yards per catch. He was good after the catch too, with 7.1 YAC per reception. He’ll have an opportunity to be explosive and consistent this fall with more targets going his way.

A true breakout year from Lacy could boost the LSU offense to the top of the SEC again.

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LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier listed as potential Heisman contender by On3

Could LSU produce back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners?

LSU historically hasn’t exactly been known for its quarterback play, but the last few years have done a lot to reverse that reputation.

The Tigers have seen two quarterbacks win the Heisman Trophy in the last five years, and they could have a candidate for their third behind center this season in [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag].

Though Nussmeier has only one career start under his belt, he’s an experienced backup who has had some major positive moments. Though LSU loses its top two receivers in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], both of which were first-round picks, there’s still quite a bit of talent out wide on this offense.

On3 listed its top 10 Heisman contenders entering the 2024 season, and though Nussmeier didn’t crack that list, he was listed as the next man up.

While it is unlikely that LSU would produce back-to-back winners, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier at least bears mentioning based on his upside. The Tigers must replace 1st-round receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., but they have maybe the best OL in the country and have restocked the receiver room. Nussmeier has put up gaudy numbers in spot duty, and now it’s his show.

LSU is hoping that new defensive coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] can fix the woes on that side of the ball, but there are a lot of questions. The Tigers may need  Nussmeier and the offense to lead the team again with a productive year.

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Where will LSU finish in the SEC standings this fall, according to Phil Steele?

The toughest conference in the country just got even harder. How does LSU stack up?

It’s the dawn of a new era in the SEC as Texas and Oklahoma have now jumped from the Big 12 to the SEC. That means the toughest conference in the country just got even harder.

With that being said, where does Phil Steele think LSU will finish in the overall SEC rankings this fall? Steele has the Tigers finishing as the No. 5 team in the conference. He has LSU behind Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has led LSU to back-to-back 10-win seasons in his first two years in Baton Rouge. He lost a lot of great players on offense last season as Heisman trophy winner [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and his two top wide receivers [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] have all gone to the NFL. Garrett Nussmeier will take over as the starting quarterback and he and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] look to be a dominant duo this fall.

On defense, the Tigers can’t get much worse than they were last year. Kelly hired [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] away from Missouri to be his new defensive coordinator and I believe that move will help LSU a lot. Baker was an assistant coach in 2022 when LSU went to the SEC championship game.

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Where does LSU rank on Phil Steele’s 2024 preseason power poll?

Phil Steele is a bit lower on the Tigers than most preseason rankings.

Recently Phil Steele released his annual digital college football preview magazine, and in the magazine was a power ranking of every Division I football team. Out of 134 teams, where does LSU rank?

LSU was ranked as the No. 20 team on the power poll. That is good for the eighth-highest-rated team from the SEC. Georgia (1), Texas (4), Alabama (6), Oklahoma (7), Ole Miss (9), Texas A&M (15) and Florida (19) all rank higher than the Tigers.

Missouri (22), Tennessee (26), South Carolina (27), Kentucky (31), Auburn (33), Arkansas (48), Vanderbilt (96) and Mississippi State (99) are all behind LSU in the power rankings.

The Tigers lost Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] as well as two of the top receivers in the country in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] but [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] is ready to lead LSU to greatness. [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] has the ability to be the No. 1 receiver for this offense and I believe the offense will thrive.

Defensively there have been a lot of coaching changes and I don’t think it can get much worse than some games we played last year. I look for that side of the ball to be much improved and I believe [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] will have the best season of his career. It will be a fun season on the Bayou this fall.

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How explosive will LSU’s offense be in 2024?

With Jayden Daniels and Mike Denbrock gone, how explosive will LSU be in 2024?

LSU was college football’s most explosive offense in 2023. It wasn’t that close either with 17% of the Tigers’ plays accounting for 20+ yards or a touchdown. The next best was USC at 13.5%.

LSU’s level of explosiveness came somewhat as a surprise. The unit was expected to be good returning players like [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], but LSU made its money in 2022 by being efficient, even when it wasn’t explosive.

2023 was a different story. LSU came out firing and Daniels’ became the best downfield passer in the sport on his way to winning the Heisman trophy.

But a lot of the elements that made last fall’s offense dangerous are gone. Daniels, Nabers and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] are playing professional football while offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] returned to Notre Dame. All that means LSU will have a new playcaller, a new quarterback, and new go-to receivers this fall.

Explosive plays are variable from year to year. There’s some correlation, but the metric isn’t as stable than success rate and EPA. Some of that has to do with sample size. With explosive plays, you’re only looking at a select few plays across the entirety of a season.

That can make explosiveness tough to predict, especially in LSU’s case with all the turnover on offense.

However, this offense appears capable of keeping the big-play trend going in Baton Rouge. Quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], despite trying to shake the label at times, is a gunslinger. He’s not afraid to let it fly.

Receiver is perhaps a bigger question. Nabers led the country in 20+ yard catches while Thomas led the nation in touchdowns. That level of big play creation from a receiving duo is rare and nearly impossible to repeat. In all likelihood, LSU won’t get that level of production in 2024, but [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] are no strangers to the long ball.

Lacy averaged 18.6 yards per catch, which ranked third in the SEC. Daniels was even better at 19.3 yards per catch, putting him top 20 nationally.

The last time [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] was a full-time play-caller in 2020 and 2021, he didn’t show a propensity to take downfield shots. But that could be more related to the system and personnel at Louisiana Tech than anything else.

When he called plays in the bowl game against Wisconsin, Nussmeier threw 10 passes with 20+ air yards. Sloan has a QB he trusts to dial them up.

The most significant drop in explosiveness could be the run game. Last year, Daniels ripped off big runs from the QB position, ranking second nationally with 20 runs of 20+ yards. Nussmeier doesn’t have the same ability with his legs and LSU lost RB [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], who was second on the team in 10+ yard runs.

This offense is going to score points, there’s no question about that. But the way LSU goes about doing it might be a little different. I still expect this to be one of the SEC’s top units when it comes to creating big plays, but there will be games when LSU needs to rely on the ruthless efficiency of the offensive line.

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LSU’s receiver group near the top of CBS Sports rankings for 2024

Despite the offseason losses, LSU’s receiving corps remains among the most talented in the nation.

When breaking down LSU’s roster in 2024, it’s hard to fathom receiver not being a bigger need than it actually is.

The Tigers lost two first-round prospects in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who finished second in the nation in receiving yards while setting LSU’s career record, and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who led the nation in receiving touchdowns. One would think that the need at receiver would be dire, but that isn’t the case.

LSU returns promising veterans poised for a breakout in [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] while adding transfers [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], a 1,000-yard receiver at Liberty last fall, and [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag]. [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] are other players who could see a sharp uptick in targets.

CBS Sports didn’t include that group among the top five in the nation in its receiving corps rankings, but it did list the Tigers as an honorable mention.

It’s shaping up to be a year of change on offense for LSU with two new coordinators and a new quarterback in [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag]. But a receiver room that, while lacking experience, remains very talented should help ease the adjustment for Nussmeier.

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LSU receiver CJ Daniels named to On3’s preseason All-Transfer team

CJ Daniels joins the Tigers after turning in a 1,000-yard season at Liberty in 2023.

With two of the nation’s top receivers moving on in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], LSU entered the offseason needing to land a proven weapon at receiver.

The Tigers did just that, bringing in Liberty transfer [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], who is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Flames. While the Tigers already have some receiver talent on the roster with players like [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], Daniels brings some much-needed experience to the table.

While many project Lacy to see the most targets in the offense this fall, Daniels was still named to On3’s preseason All-Transfer team as one of three receivers.

With Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. off to the NFL, LSU nabbed the Liberty star to fill one of the vacancies on the perimeter. Daniels averaged a whopping 19.4 yards per catch in 2023 (third-most nationally among any WRs with at least 50 receptions) with 10 touchdowns.

Daniels managed to remain extremely productive while running a triple option-derived offense at Liberty that doesn’t see the team air the ball out a ton. In spite of that, Daniels managed to make the most of his targets last fall.

There’s a lot of change on offense in 2024 with two new coordinators and a new starting quarterback in [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag]. With that in mind, the Daniels pickup could prove to be LSU’s most impactful of the offseason.

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