Tag: Kyren Lacy

Projecting the stats for LSU receivers in 2023

Here’s what to expect from LSU’s receivers in 2023.

Despite losing [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag], LSU returns a talented wide receiver room in 2023.

[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] enters his junior year after leading the SEC in catches last year. Behind Nabers, there’s [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], both of which earned praise from offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] this spring.

There’s also [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], one of the sport’s most impressive freshmen in 2022.

When I did this last year, I got a bit too eager with the projections. This year, I’ve taken more of a conservative approach. With that out of the way, lets jump right in and take a look at what we might see from LSU’s receivers this fall.

LSU State of the Program: Breaking down the wide receiver room

Here’s how LSU stacks up at receiver in 2023 and beyond.

We still have a long way to go before toe touches leather in September.

With signing day and most of the transfer action in the rearview mirror, this is usually one of the quieter times of the college football calendar. That will soon change with spring practice fast approaching at LSU.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is set to begin his second year in Baton Rouge after a 10-win season in Year 1. Leading up to spring practice, we’re taking a look at the state of the program.

Position by position, present and future.

Now, it’s the wide receivers. Here’s a breakdown of how LSU shapes up at pass catcher entering 2023 and beyond.

(Check out our previous position breakdowns where we look at quarterbacks and running backs.)

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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Sophomore LSU receiver enters transfer portal

Jack Bech entered the portal after a quiet sophomore season to follow up an impressive true freshman campaign.

With the big news on Monday that [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] would be returning to Baton Rouge for his senior season in 2023, it was expected that LSU may see some attrition in the receiver room.

That came on Tuesday afternoon as sophomore wideout [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. In two years, Bech appeared in 25 games with the Tigers, starting 11, and notching 689 yards and four touchdowns on 59 catches.

“I would like to thank LSU for the opportunity to play the sport I love at the university I’ve loved since I could hold a football. I want to thank everyone who believed in me and supported me throughout my journey here,” Bech said in his announcement on Twitter. “This has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make and a lot of thought and prayer has gone into my decision. With that being said, I’m entering my name into the transfer portal.”

It was a quieter year for Bech than many expected after a breakout true freshman campaign. He caught just 16 balls for 200 yards and a touchdown, and though he saw some action at punt returner, he was eventually moved from that spot after a couple of gaffes.

The Lafayette native enters the portal with two remaining years of eligibility and a redshirt year still available. Despite a disappointing season, he should see plenty of interest.

Meanwhile, LSU should be alright at the position as it returns Boutte, alongside [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], as things currently stand. The Tigers will also add a pair of blue-chip prospects in the 2023 recruiting class in [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag].

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COLUMN: When football is good in Louisiana, it’s good for LSU

When there’s a lot of football talent in the state of Louisiana, LSU is the beneficiary.

The tradition of football in the state of Louisiana is strong. From LSU to Tulane to Southern, this sport runs deep within the state’s blood.

LSU is lucky in the sense that it doesn’t have a natural rival in the state. There’s not another Power Five school in Louisiana.

However, there are 11 Division I programs in the state that play football (New Orleans is the lone school to not have the sport), including five at the FBS level.

Along with LSU, there’s Louisiana, ULM, Louisiana Tech and Tulane. At the FCS level, there’s also Grambling, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern and Southern.

This weekend, Southern is set to travel to Jackson State, where ESPN’s College GameDay pregame show will also be in attendance. It’ll be GameDay’s first trip to an HBCU and first trip to an FCS school since 2019.

The spotlight will be on Deion Sanders and Jackson State. After all, the Tigers have earned it. To many, Southern will be nothing but an afterthought on Saturday.

But the Southern helmet is still going to sit in front of that ESPN desk on national television for three hours on Saturday morning. A lot of people that don’t know the school exists suddenly will.

When Southern faced LSU in September, it was beneficial for the city and the state. LSU knows that, too. It’s why the Tigers continually schedule these in-state schools and run camps together.

Whether the reasons are selfish or not, LSU wants these schools to be good at football. More good football players in the state — whether at the high school or college level — means there’s a better chance more good football players end up at LSU.

Imagine what this LSU secondary would look like if it weren’t for [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag] transferring from Louisiana and [autotag]Colby Richardson[/autotag] coming from McNeese.

We can talk about [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] too, a wide receiver who joined Garner from Louisiana.

It’s not a bad time for the state right now.

  • LSU is 6-2 and coming off its most significant win yet.
  • Tulane is 7-1, ranked and contending for a spot in the NY6.
  • Southern is riding a four-game win streak and is 3-1 in conference play.
  • Northwestern State is 3-0 in conference play

There are some struggles at other spots. Grambling has yet to win a conference game and Louisiana is in the midst of a rebuild, but those programs have strong foundations that can be worked with.

Jackson State will most likely get the win on Saturday, but Southern is a competent team, and I expect the Jaguars to be in this game. More eyes will be on this game than usual. It would be a big deal if Southern were to roll into Jackson and beat Deion’s team.

In the state of Louisiana, few things are of more importance than football. On LSU’s bye week, take some time to check out some other things happening in the state.

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LSU finally found the explosiveness it has been searching for

LSU’s offense erupted on Saturday night. Here’s how it happened.

LSU’s offense has been hard to pin down. It’s been inconsistent and just when it seems like an issue is solved, another one emerges.

One of the most pertinent issues was a lack of explosive plays. LSU had been decent on a down-to-down basis but had yet to really find a way to create big plays.

Against Florida, LSU finally found some. The Tigers tallied eight explosive plays against Florida, according to GameOnPaper.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] looked comfortable standing in the pocket and delivering the ball down the field. He had seven passes that traveled 20 or more air yards and completed four of them.

He only has nine such completions all year, meaning nearly half of them came against Florida. It began on LSU’s opening series, with Daniels finding [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] for a 40-yard gain on third and eight.

On the first play of the second quarter, Daniels found Boutte again, this time for a gain of 21. On LSU’s third drive of the night, Daniels connected with Kole Taylor for a gain of 26 and finished the drive with a 24-yard touchdown to [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]

LSU’s fourth drive was finished with a 56-yard touchdown to [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] after Florida jumped offsides. In the second half, [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] broke free for a 50-yard run and Daniels would find Boutte and Nabers a couple more times for a significant gain.

LSU’s offense looked confident and comfortable. It looked like a group that was working in sync. For the first time all year, the unit played a complete game. Daniels, who has held the ball for too long at times, had his quickest time to throw of the year against Florida, per PFF.

He was trusting his receivers and not afraid to put the ball into tight windows. We saw some of that in the Tennessee game, but the timing looked much better in Gainesville.

Boutte finally having his breakout game helped and LSU got contributions from top to bottom, with guys like [autotag]Kole Taylor[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] getting involved too.

Daniels was good under pressure, too. His passer rating under pressure was the best in the SEC in Week 7.

[autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] didn’t have their best night, allowing eight combined pressures, but it never became a talking point thanks to Daniels’ ability to either get the ball out quick or scramble.

In the run game, Daniels and Williams combined to force 13 missed tackles. LSU’s explosiveness was a result of players stepping up and making plays. Receivers were winning one-on-one battles, and Daniels was trusting them to make a play.

It didn’t matter if it was first down or third down. It didn’t matter what side of the field they were on — plays were made that needed to be made.

Whether or not it will continue is to be determined, but this was a good start. LSU will need more of the same with a top-10 Ole Miss team coming to town.

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What’s wrong with LSU’s receiver room?

LSU’s talented receiver room has struggled. What’s next for this group?

LSU’s wide receiver group has been disappointing. Entering the year, some had pegged this group as the best in the SEC. So far, it’s been far from that.

The talent remains. [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag], [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] are all there.

As far as a list of names goes, that’s pretty good — despite the struggles. It can be difficult to pinpoint why an offense is struggling. In the case of LSU, you could find a few reasons.

Everything has been shaky. That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been good to find. There’s been a lot of that too, but the lack of consistency has held this team back, especially at the receiver position.

Talking about Boutte’s lack of production is beating a dead horse at this point. Halfway through the year, he has just 17 catches for 130 yards. He’s catching less than 60% of his targets and has five drops on the year.

There have been times when [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] has missed him, but Boutte hasn’t gotten open enough and hasn’t finished enough when given the chance.

Boutte hasn’t produced against man coverage or zone coverage and his results have been similar in the slot and on the outside. Plus, he’s being used in the slot at the same rate he was in 2021.

Boutte needs to get going. He doesn’t need to rack up 100 yards per game but LSU’s offense is much more explosive when he is rolling. The offense has had a severe lack of explosiveness, and Boutte’s lack of production is a part of that.

Nabers has been LSU’s best receiver thus far, becoming Daniels’ favorite target. Daniels repeatedly targeted Nabers in big moments against Mississippi State to help put that game away.

Nabers has been particularly good against man coverage, averaging 3.10 yards per route run. He’s still young, and I’d look for him to continue to progress.

When it comes to the remaining guys — Thomas, Bech, Jenkins and Lacy — LSU needs more consistency.

They don’t have to be game-breakers, but they need to deliver in big moments. If Boutte is going to continue to struggle and Nabers is yet to become a true, dynamic No. 1 threat, then LSU needs something from the entire room.

Thomas is headed in the right direction, but like Nabers, he’s still young and needs some time before emerging as a top-tier target. Bech, Jenkins and Lacy are experienced players who have demonstrated competency.

The coaching staff needs to do a better job at putting them in situations to succeed. The passing offense needs to be more than just hoping Boutte, Nabers or Thomas can win in man coverage. Defenses with a strong secondary will have no issue defending that.

This group lacks an identity right now. LSU is going to need them to find one and find it soon.

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LSU WR Chris Hilton Jr. out for the year following shoulder surgery

LSU’s receiver depth takes a hit with Hilton sidelined for the remainder of 2022.

LSU’s wide receiver room took a hit this week.

[autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] underwent shoulder surgery that is expected to end his season. Hilton didn’t get a ton of action in LSU’s crowded receiver room, but he has played 70 snaps this year and got the start against Mississippi State. He’s been targeted 10 times, catching seven passes for 109 yards.

Hilton, a highly touted recruit in the class of 2021, added another dimension with his speed and was able to stretch the field. This won’t make or break LSU’s passing game, but the depth takes a hit. Hilton was a guy with the talent to make plays against SEC opponents.

LSU still has depth in place at receiver with [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag], and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag].

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LSU receiver corps ranked as the best in the SEC by On3

LSU’s wide receiver room has a chance to be the class of the league in 2022.

LSU has a lot of question marks as it begins the [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] era. The wide receiver room is not one of them.

On3’s Jesse Simonton released his top-five SEC receiver units on Monday, and LSU topped the list.

“LSU has the best collection of perimeter playmakers in the SEC,” Simonton wrote, “They’re built like a basketball team with size, speed, and versatility.”

LSU’s receiver room has been getting hype all offseason with [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] being the focus of most discussions. Boutte projects to be one of the best receivers in the country, but LSU has plenty of guys to compliment him.

Big things are expected from slots receivers [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] after they impressed as freshmen in 2021.

[autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] were also part of that dynamite freshmen receiver class last year and have the talent to take the next step at any moment.

[autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] has been making plays for LSU since 2018 and brings veteran experience to the group. Transfer [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] adds some experience, as well.

There’s an array of possibilities for how LSU’s season could play out this fall, but this group of wideouts should provide plenty of excitement in games, win or lose.

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Here’s what LSU has to do to win the national title this season

ESPN’s Bill Connelly lays out a framework for how the Tigers could compete for a title in Year 1 under Kelly.

Let me preface this by saying there are a lot of caveats and what-ifs, but LSU is listed as a possible national title contender by ESPN’s Bill Connelly.

The Tigers enter the season with +7000 odds of winning the national championship this season, per Tipico Sportsbook, but anything is possible. For that dream to come to fruition, a few things have to happen for this Tigers team, which has a lot of talent in Year 1 under coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] but just as many questions.

But Connelly sees a path to contention for LSU. Here are the five things he says need to happen for that to be the case.

If LSU can thrive through all of the changes…

LSU has a new head coach and a whole lot of new blood in the program. Other than the 15 high school recruits Brian Kelly signed, he brought in 15 transfers from other schools. It is not an easy task to bring all of that new talent and new ideas into one place and make them mesh together quickly. There’s a whole new playbook, new route concepts, new mantras, new goals, etc. Can LSU turn newness into greatness?

If a star quarterback emerges…

[autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] or [autotag]Walker Howard[/autotag]? For LSU to win a national championship this season, one of these guys will have to do their best [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] impression. To win it all, you have to have a great signal caller. You’ve got to have someone that can lead your team through the tough situations that you face in the SEC. Who will be the guy for Kelly?

If the offense has more playmakers than [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag]…

LSU will need some new guys to step up and make plays other than Boutte. We all know Boutte is an incredible receiver, but he can’t do it by himself. [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], and a few other guys have got to help him in that department. One thing I love about Brian Kelly’s offenses is that he loves to use tight ends. That should help immensely.

If the new secondary is as good as it looks…

LSU landed five defensive backs from the transfer portal ([autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] and [autotag]Sevyn Banks[/autotag]). Those guys along with the one returning starter from last year should make a pretty solid secondary. As I mentioned on No. 1 though, You are bringing in a lot of new guys that have to learn how to work together and learn a whole new playbook, so it could take some time.

If the run defense grows more consistent…

If you are gonna play in the SEC, you’ve gotta stop the run. Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M are all going to come out and wear you out by running the ball. You can’t give up over 200 yards a game on the ground and expect to win.

For LSU to win the title, there are a lot of what-ifs, but it is possible for it to at least be competitive this season and have a shot at winning the SEC. Many are overlooking the Tigers after two disappointing campaigns, but Kelly was brought in to turn things around quickly, and he may be able to do just that.

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