Tag: Chris Hilton

LSU transfer receiver set to make noise in the SEC in 2024

Liberty transfer CJ Daniels is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Flames.

LSU took a much more methodical approach to the transfer portal this offseason, taking significantly fewer players than it has in the previous two cycles. But that doesn’t mean the transfer haul is devoid of star talent.

Arguably the Tigers’ most prized addition in that group is [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], a receiver from Liberty who is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Flames. Both [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] are set to move on, and that could open the door for Daniels to emerge as the team’s top wideout next season.

CBS Sports’ Will Backus recently broke down a number of transfers who will make noise in the SEC this season, and Daniels was listed among them.

The 6-foot-2 Daniels spent the past three seasons as one of Liberty’s top offensive playmakers, though he battled through an injury-riddled campaign in 2022. He had his first 1,000-yard receiving performance in 2023 with 10 touchdowns and a whopping 19.4 yards per catch. He should thrive in LSU’s big-play offense with his combination of size and explosive ability. There’s plenty of opportunity for Daniels to shine with both Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. off to the NFL. They’re taking a combined 2,746 yards receiving — 62.3% of LSU’s 2023 team total — and 31 total touchdowns with them.

Daniels will still be competing with the likes of [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and others, but he immediately becomes the most experienced and proven player in the room.

That should help a lot with a new quarterback set to take over in [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag].

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Former LSU receiver commits to rival Ole Miss

Former LSU receiver Deion Smith will be joining Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.

A former LSU receiver finally found a new home on Monday.

[autotag]Deion Smith[/autotag], a former four-star recruit, committed to Ole Miss. Smith began his career at LSU in 2021 before transferring and spending the next two years at the JUCO level.

Smith was a member of LSU’s deep receiver class in 2021, that also included [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag].

At LSU, Smith appeared in six games, catching 11 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith left LSU after some academic issues boiled up but showed promise on the field when he got his chance.

His most impressive highlight came against Central Michigan, leaping over a defender to make the catch inn the back of the endzone.

As a recruit, Smith was the top-ranked player in Mississippi and the eighth-ranked receiver nationally. He now gets back to SEC ball, joining Lane Kiffin’s high-powered offense at Ole Miss.

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Brian Kelly updates LSU’s injury report heading into Week 6 matchup at Missouri

The Tigers have some banged up players after Saturday’s loss at Ole Miss.

LSU was finally getting back closer to full health last week, but several Tigers players got banged up in the 55-49 loss, leading to a more crowded Monday injury report than we saw last week.

Addressing the media, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] listed receivers [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] as questionable. Speights made his return to the field after missing back-to-back games with a hip flexor while Hilton also played Saturday.

Anderson missed the game after a hamstring injury suffered in practice on Thursday.

We’ll be monitoring the progress of those players throughout the week, but if Hilton or Anderson aren’t able to go, the Tigers should have [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] available, who was listed as probable alongside redshirt freshman former walk-on receiver [autotag]Javen Nicholas[/autotag], who could see his number called depending on the status of other players.

Kelly said that all five players are dealing with lower-body injuries but declined to go into further detail.

The Tigers will look to bounce back in Week 6 as they hit the road to take on a ranked unbeaten team in Missouri.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 11 Brian Thomas Jr.

After two seasons as a mostly rotational receiver, Brian Thomas Jr. could be poised to break out in 2023.

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 looking at a player in the receiver room who has shown a lot of signs of promise but is yet to put it all together in the form of a breakout campaign in Brian Thomas Jr. Entering a receiver room that he’s poised to be a leader in during his junior season, he has the potential to do just that in 2023.

Brian Thomas Jr. Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Walker, Louisiana

Ht: 6-3

Wt: 205

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 4 in Louisiana | No. 13 receiver

Class in 2022: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Rec Yards Avg TDs
2021 12 28 359 12.8 2
2022 13 31 361 11.6 5


Depth Chart Overview

A former top-100 recruit coming out of high school, Thomas has made 25 appearances over the last two seasons with 15 starts. He’s had just moderate production in that time, and though his numbers didn’t skyrocket as a sophomore, he did finish fourth on the team in receptions, fifth in yards and second in touchdowns.

With [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] heading to the NFL while [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] transfers out, that room is much less crowded in 2023. Alongside one of the SEC’s top receivers in Malik Nabers, Thomas could be an impact player in that group.

There will be others competing for targets, though, such as [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and Alabama transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag]. The Tigers added a pair of highly-rated true freshmen as well in [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]

Brian Thomas Jr.’s Photo Gallery

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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Malik Nabers among the SEC’s top receivers in 2023

College Sports Wire is high on Nabers entering 2023.

LSU has a number of players poised for potential breakouts in 2023, but few have garnered more national anticipation than [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag].

Nabers had a promising true freshman season in 2021, but he really took things up a notch last fall. He quickly became the favored target of new quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], and that allowed him to finish the season beyond the 1,000-yard threshold, though he only had three touchdowns.

While a campaign like that will be hard to top, many see him as one of the best (if not the best) receivers in the SEC this season. In College Sports Wire’s rankings, Nabers sits in second behind only South Carolina’s Antwane “Juice” Wells, who also had a breakout 2022 season.

2022 Stats:

Rec Yards YPR TDs
72 1,017 14.1 3

Why The Ranking:

Nabers emerged as WR1 last season after Kayshon Boutte’s disappointing season in 2022. Nabers and new quarterback Jayden Daniels built quite a rapport last season and I look forward to seeing how it grows for the upcoming season.

With LSU losing [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and veteran [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag], Nabers could be poised to see a bigger role. Other talented pass-catchers like [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] remain, but Nabers should be the most targeted of that group once again.

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11 LSU players to study abroad in Senegal next week

The selected players will head to Dakar, Senegal, for an eight-day trip.

Eleven LSU players will have the opportunity to study abroad next week.

The players will be heading to Dakar, Senegal, for an eight-day trip that begins on Saturday. The players will return on May 21. It’s the first time that Tigers football players have participated in the study abroad program.

The 11 football players selected to make the trip are running back [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], offensive tackle [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], running back [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], defensive tackle [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Bo Bordelon[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Javen Nicholas[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Fitzgerald West[/autotag] and long snapper [autotag]Slade Roy[/autotag].

“One of the things that I have tried to do since coming to LSU is to not only set the standards and the process of building a program that graduates champions, but to help our players establish an identity outside of football,” coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said in a release. “To get the opportunity to study abroad is an experience that student-athletes really don’t get the chance to do so for our players to be able to participate in this unique educational program is something that I think will have a lifelong impact on them.

“I want our players to have the opportunity to see things from a different perspective and to really take ownership in their studies and to understand that there’s much more out there than just being a football player. The opportunities of being an LSU football player go far beyond the field so I want to use the study abroad program to help them understand that. This is one of those pieces that we can continue to build on as we work with their identity outside of football and they are excited about it.”

LSU offered a description of the program:

The robust itinerary for this study abroad experience will purposely explore the course themes of race, sports, and civic engagement in a Senegalese context. Student-athletes will have the opportunity to learn Senegal’s Wolof language, engage in a service-learning opportunity with an international NGO, and meet local Senegalese families, among other highly immersive events. The program holistically introduces LSU student-athletes to Senegal’s rich culture and its strong ties to Louisiana.

It’s a neat opportunity for these LSU players, and with spring practice in the books, they will take advantage of some of their precious little down time to have what should be the experience of a lifetime.

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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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Georgia football makes top-six for 2021 4-star WR

Georgia football made the top-six for 2021 4-star WR Chris Hilton

On Sunday, Chris Hilton, a 4-star wide receiver from Zachary, Louisiana, named his top six schools.

Georgia, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame and Texas A&M made the cut.

The 6-foot, 169 pound prospect is ranked as the No. 5 receiver in the 2021 class and the No. 51 ranked prospect overall. (via 247Sports)

Hilton told 247Sports:

“You could say whichever school I feel like I’m more comfortable at, can play at, and get my education is how I’ll get it down to one.”

Although the Bulldogs have good depth at the receiver position for at least the next two seasons, Kirby Smart knows that you can never have too many explosive playmakers in today’s game.

Hilton, who runs a 4.45 40 yard dash, would be great addition to a speedy Georgia offense and with 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff heading to Athens in 2021, the Bulldogs hope to get as many playmakers on the outside as possible.

“I like the coaching staff and the academics are really good,” Hilton told Dawg Post, speaking of Georgia.

 

 

Elite WR Has Notre Dame in Top Six

Louisiana WR Chris Hilton has Notre Dame in this Top 6 along with 5 other SEC schools.

Brian Kelly thought that the Irish were done with wide receiver recruiting for the 2021 class after Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Deion Colzie committed on back to back days last October. Fast forward to today, Colzie has decommitted and recently Rivals put Styles Jr. on flip watch, meaning that Kelly and his staff need to continue to hit the phones and be in recruits’ ears.

That urgency has paid off as Louisiana WR Chris Hilton has the Irish in his Top 6 along with Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M. When looking at the schools for the 5’11” and 170-pound wide out, the Irish are the only non-SEC school he is considering. In a recent interview with 247Sports Steve Wiltfong, Hilton high on LSU due to proximity, only about 20 minutes away from his home, but is intrigued by Notre Dame. He has yet to get on campus, that won’t be for a little while due to the NCAA mandated dead period, but without a visit to campus to make his Top 6 is significant.

It will be tough for the Irish to pry him away from last years national champion, being just minutes away from his home. When Hilton is able to visit South Bend, Kelly will need to roll out the red carpet for the young man. Hilton would be a huge recruiting win if the Irish are able to get him away from LSU and being in his Top 6 is a good sign going forward.