Tag: CJ Daniels

Former LSU receiver Khai Prean commits to Tulane

Khai Prean is staying in the state of Louisiana.

Former Tigers wide receiver [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] won’t be leaving the state of Louisiana, after all.

On Monday, Prean announced his commitment to Tulane as a transfer. The former four-star receiver entered the transfer portal last Wednesday following one season at LSU in which he redshirted and didn’t make any appearances.

Listed as an athlete coming out of Saint James, Louisiana, in the 2023 class, Prean was a top-500 recruit. However, even with the departures of [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], he remained buried on the receiver depth chart entering 2024.

LSU still has quite a bit of depth at the position between projected starters [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], depth players [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], as well as young players who could be poised for a breakout like [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Parker[/autotag].

Prean will join a Tulane team coming off another double-digit win season, but the 2024 campaign will be the first under new coach Jon Sumrall after Willie Fritz left to take the Houston job.

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LSU redshirt freshman receiver enters transfer portal

Khai Prean is moving on after a redshirt season in 2023 in which he didn’t appear in any games.

LSU has seen its second transfer portal departure in the spring window as redshirt freshman receiver [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] opted to enter the portal on Wednesday.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Prean entered the portal with a no-contact tag. That would seemingly indicate that he already knows where he’s going, or at least has a shortlist.

Prean joins [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] as LSU’s spring transfer portal entrants so far, but Howard signaled his intention to transfer prior to the window opening on Tuesday.

A four-star recruit and top-20 recruit nationally, the Belle Rose, Louisiana, native didn’t appear in any games as a true freshman and ultimately took a redshirt year.

With Prean now out of the mix, LSU will turn to players like [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], last year’s transfer addition [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and fellow 2023 recruit Shelton Sampson Jr. for depth behind the new starting receiving corps, which seems to be comprised of [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], Mississippi State transfer [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] as we complete spring ball.

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What is LSU’s biggest need entering the spring transfer portal window?

The Tigers could still use some help on defense entering the second transfer portal window.

With many college football programs completing spring practice over the weekend, the spring transfer portal window is set to open on Tuesday.

SEC teams are a bit limited in who they can target during this window as spring transfers are not permitted to move within the conference. Still, LSU approaches the second window with some clear needs.

It addressed several positions of need in the first window, most notably receiver with the additions of [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag]. It also has added a few defensive players like defensive lineman [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Jardin Gilbert[/autotag].

Still, after an abysmal performance last season, the defense likely still needs to add some players.

On3’s Jesse Simonton assessed the biggest remaining portal need for every championship contender, and for LSU, it’s simply any help on the defensive side of the ball.

Brian Kelly is already on record that the Tigers will add defensive tackle depth when the portal opens — and that’s a must with the departure of the team’s top four interior tackles last season in Maason Smith, Mekhi Wingo, Jacobian Guillory and Jalen Lee.

But LSU’s head coach should not stop there. If the spring game was any indication (busted coverages are becoming a far too common theme with this group the last few years), Blake Baker’s unit still needs a whole lot of help in the secondary, too.

In fact, if any impact transfer defensive player — be it a pass rusher or linebacker as well, — wants to come play for the Bayou Bengals, then LSU should not turn them down. Kelly whiffed on some portal additions in the secondary last season, but he must take some swings again this spring if the Tigers hope to truly contend for a 12-team playoff spot this fall.

The Tigers face depth issues at a number of positions, particularly along the defensive line and in the secondary. However, it’s worth noting that Simonton is incorrect about the fact that Guillory and Lee have departed. Both are on the roster, though they represent the only returning depth on the interior of the defensive line.

Still, the overall assessment of the defensive roster situation is correct, and LSU will almost certainly address it. Kelly has said the Tigers are primarily looking to add defensive tackles, but perhaps they should examine other defensive transfers, as Simonton suggests.

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Co-OC Joe Sloan is excited about LSU’s top-rated transfer CJ Daniels

New LSU OC Joe Sloan is excited about the leadership and playmaking ability CJ Daniels brings to the WR room.

LSU football is in the final stretch of spring practice. Coaches have now got their eyes on a few newcomers, including LSU’s top-rated transfer [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag].

Earlier this week, offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] was asked about what Daniels brings to the receiver room.

“CJ just brings such a level of consistency. You can see the experience in how he plays. He’s such a smart player,” Sloan said.

This will be Daniels’ fifth year of college football and Sloan said the leadership and work habits Daniels brings to the room have been nice to see.

LSU is losing two 1,000-yard receivers with [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] off to the NFL. That’s what made the addition of Daniels, who racked up 1.067 yards with Liberty in 2023, critical.

Sloan noted Daniels is still learning and adjusting to the playbook and doesn’t offer the continuity of the returning guys, but he’s excited about his ability to produce.

“He’s physical and he’s strong through the catch. I think he’s going to be a huge piece for what we’re doing in the fall,” Sloan said.

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LSU receiver Kyle Parker could be poised for breakout redshirt freshman season

Kyle Parker has reportedly seen first-team receiver reps at LSU’s spring practice.

As LSU works its way through spring ball, there’s one pressing question on the offensive side: Who can replace the production departing with first-round receivers [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]?

While the Tigers may lack the experience in the receiver room, it’s a talented group with a number of players who could earn reps. One, however, has been a standout so far in spring ball.

Redshirt freshman [autotag]Kyle Parker[/autotag] — an Allen, Texas, native who appeared in four games as a true freshman in 2023 — was spotted taking reps with the first team along with [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag].

Parker was part of a talented receiver class in 2023 that also featured [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag]. The latter has since transferred, but with Sampson and a group that also features Liberty transfer [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag], a transfer addition who played occasionally in 2023, there are options for the Tigers.

However, it seems Parker is making an impression, with quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] recently saying that he had “worked his tail off.”

The Tigers have to replace a combined 2,746 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns from a season ago. The emergence of a player like Parker would certainly make that much more manageable.

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Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell claims LSU paid transfer WR CJ Daniels $300,000 among other benefits

Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell claimed LSU paid out more than a quarter million to CJ Daniels while also providing him with an apartment and car.

College football has always been a dog-eat-dog world, but with the growing disparity in resources, particularly when it comes to NIL benefits, we’ve seen that gap become as wide as it’s ever been.

This is perhaps best exemplified by Liberty, which lost a number of star players to the portal following a 13-1 season that saw it reach the New Year’s Six for the first time.

Among the players who left is receiver [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], who joined LSU, and Flames coach Jamey Chadwell didn’t mince words when discussing it, according to a report from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

Per Dellenger, Chadwell claimed that LSU paid Daniels $300,000 to come to Baton Rouge while also paying for both a car and an apartment.

“Those guys would be all-conference for us,” Chadwell said, per the report. “LSU paid for a car and an apartment and like $300,000. What do you do?”

Daniels is coming off a 1,000-yard season at Liberty, and he was considered one of the top wideouts in the portal this offseason.

This is certainly not the only case where something like this has potentially happened, but if it were true, it would be understandable why so many coaches at the Group of Five level feel a sense of hopelessness with where the sport is heading, a theme that was the ultimate centerpiece of Dellenger’s article.

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Who is LSU’s most important newcomer in 2024?

CJ Daniels could immediately become the top target in LSU’s passing game next fall.

LSU enters the 2024 season with some optimism as the [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] era is set to begin in Baton Rouge. But there’s no denying the fact that this team lost a lot of production from last fall.

Heisman-winning quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] is gone, as are the top-two offensive weapons in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], as well as quite a bit of depth at defensive line and in the secondary.

With that in mind, LSU will be relying heavily on some of its newcomers this offseason, and perhaps none of them have the chance to be more impactful than Liberty receiver transfer [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag].

Daniels is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Flames and could immediately become the top target in the passing game. ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren listed Daniels as the Tigers’ most important newcomer in 2024.

LSU is losing its top two receivers from last season in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., who are both off to the NFL. The two combined for 2,746 of the team’s 4,406 receiving yards and 31 of the team’s 44 receiving touchdowns. That is a lot of production to try to replace this offseason, but Daniels should help. He’s a 6-foot-2, 200-pound receiver who led Liberty in receiving yards and touchdowns this past season with 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns. He should be an instant-impact player.

With questions surrounding the defense once again, LSU will hope that adding a receiver of Daniels’ caliber helps it maintain the offensive success that carried the team to 10 wins this fall.

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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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LSU receiver CJ Daniels a top-10 transfer, per On3

The Tigers haven’t been as active in the portal as some other teams, but CJ Daniels could have one of the biggest impacts of any transfer in 2024.

Heading into 2024, it’s clear the LSU coaching staff has taken a much different approach to the transfer portal.

The Tigers were very aggressive the prior two offseasons, landing a lot of players in each class. But after a season where that strategy backfired a bit, especially on defense, it’s clear the staff is refocusing on developing home-grown talent.

That doesn’t mean LSU has entirely neglected the portal, though. Its six-man class may not be the nation’s most impressive, but it features some immediate-impact players. And likely no player in the group is set to have a bigger impact than [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag], who On3 ranks as the No. 8 overall transfer and No. 2 receiver.

Daniels comes in from Liberty, where he was a 1,000-yard receiver in 2023. He’ll join a room that needs to replace both leading receivers from this season as [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] are off to the draft.

Daniels could immediately become the top target for new starting quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] in 2024.

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LSU officially announces the addition of 3 more transfers

The Tigers formally introduced three transfers on Friday, including Liberty receiver CJ Daniels.

The LSU football team officially announced the addition of three transfers on Friday: safety [autotag]Austin Ausberry[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Jyaire Brown[/autotag] and receiver [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag].

Ausberry is a Tigers legacy who comes in from Auburn. His father Verge played linebacker at LSU, and the Baton Rouge native from University Lab High School appeared in seven games in two years at Auburn, totaling just two tackles.

He began his career as a cornerback before moving to safety this season.

Brown previously played at Ohio State. A New Orleans native, he appeared in 14 games during his time in Columbus, totaling nine tackles, three passes defended and a forced fumble.

Daniels is arguably the most significant transfer addition LSU has landed so far. He’s coming off a 1,000-yard season at Liberty, and the Lithonia, Georgia, native could immediately project as the Tigers’ top receiver in 2024.

LSU has been less aggressive in the transfer portal compared to the first two offseasons under coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]. It has landed just six so far for a class that ranks 47th nationally, per On3.

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