Tag: Kyren Lacy

NEW: LSU receiver Kyren Lacy to return for a fifth season

LSU’s receiving corps is set to take some major loss, but Kyren Lacy’s return will make that much more manageable.

LSU’s talented receiving corps is likely due for some major losses this offseason with both [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] expected to head off to the NFL.

Another wideout who could have potentially joined them was [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], but on Monday, Lacy announced that he will be returning to the Tigers in 2024 for what will be his fifth season of college football.

A native of Thibodaux, Louisiana, Lacy began his career at UL-Lafayette before joining LSU as a transfer ahead of Brian Kelly’s first season in 2022.

He played in 14 games with two starts last fall, recording 268 yards on 24 catches with no touchdowns. He saw a much bigger role in 2023, however, starting nine of 12 games.

Though he only had 24 receptions again, his production rose considerably as he finished with 463 yards and seven touchdowns. He surpassed 100 yards in a game twice this season in wins over Auburn and Georgia State.

Lacy has had to split targets quite a bit in his first two seasons at LSU, but he could see his role expand significantly as he may find himself as the top wideout in the roster in 2024.

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Watching tape with Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels

Before he found that he won the 2023 Heisman Trophy, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels watched tape with Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.

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There are those quarterback prospects who rocket up the boards in their final collegiate seasons to find themselves highly coveted by the entire NFL. We can point to Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Joe Burrow in recent years, and in the 2024 draft, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels might be the one. In four seasons with Arizona State and LSU from 2019 through 2022, he was a good player, but not necessarily a first-round prospect.

Then, 2023 happened, and that all changed. Daniels, who is currently in New York City as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EST, completed 236 of 332 passes (71.1%) for 3,811 yards (11.1 YPA), 40 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 143.7. Add in his 1,250 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on just 65 attempts (10.4 yards per carry), and you’re dealing with a player who seems primed for franchise quarterback status at the game’s most important position.

I was able to speak to the reigning AP College Football Player of the Year on Friday, while he was chopping it up with other Heisman Finalists — Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at Raising Cane’s in New York City. Of course, Daniels did win the award on Saturday night.

(From L. to R. — 2023 Heisman Trophy finalists Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix work a shift at Raising Cane’s restaurant in Times Square, New York City. Mandatory Credit: Raising Cane’s

We got into one of Daniels’ best pitches — the deep fade ball. Overall this season, per Pro Football Focus, Daniels completed 35 of 55 passes of 20 or more air yards (63.6%) for 1,347 yards (a ridiculous 24.5 YPA), 22 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 146.8. Paramount among those deep throws are the boundary fades and slot fades that set defenses on edge in the NCAA, and will likely do so in the NFL, given Daniels’ timing, velocity, and accuracy on routes that usually lead to low-percentage plays.

Not in Daniels’ case.

LSU offers Mississippi State transfer

Zavion Thomas is one of the best return specialists in the country.

Well, that did not take long.

On Tuesday, Louisiana native [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] entered his name into the transfer portal after spending a few years in Starkville at Mississippi State.

On Wednesday, Thomas tweeted that he received an offer from LSU to play for the Tigers next fall. Although Thomas was a four-star wide receiver and a Louisiana native, he did not receive an offer from LSU out of high school. Mississippi State was the only SEC team to extend him an offer.

With the Tigers possibly losing [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] after this year, LSU will be looking for some impact players at wide receiver and I believe that Thomas can fill that role.

I have mentioned how good Thomas is at wide receiver but where he makes a difference is on special teams. He is one of the best return specialists in the country.

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Another Louisiana native with SEC experience enters the transfer portal

A former wide receiver from the state of Louisiana has entered the transfer portal.

A former wide receiver from the state of Louisiana has entered the transfer portal. [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] is a wide receiver from Woodmere, Louisiana who committed to Mississippi State out of high school and has now decided to leave Starkville in pursuit of greener pastures.

Thomas has appeared in 11 games this season for the Bulldogs and has hauled in 40 receptions for 503 yards and a touchdown. Thomas was a four-star recruit at John Ehret High School but he did not have an offer from LSU. He had 11 offers in high school and Mississippi State was the only SEC team that offered him.

Now, he is in the transfer portal and there is a possibility that he could come back to the boot to play for LSU. The Tigers will be losing [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], and possibly [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] at the end of the year. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] could be searching for depth at wide receiver.

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Brian Kelly comments on Kyren Lacy’s development this season

Kyren Lacy had a great game against the Georgia State Panthers last Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

[autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] had a great game against the Georgia State Panthers last Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

All of the talk this season has been around [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] Deservedly so, as those two guys have put up numbers like [autotag]Ja’Marr Chase[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag] in 2019. Nabers is the No. 1 wide receiver in the country and Thomas leads the country in receiving touchdowns with 14.

Lost in that shuffle is Louisiana transfer [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag]. Lacy lines up at the slot receiver position but he can be just as effective as Nabers and Thomas Jr. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was asked his thoughts on Lacy after the game.

“He’s a very capable wide receiver, and his role has been one where he’s going to get his chances because there’s so much attention paid to those other two receivers that many times he gets the one-on-one matchups, and he’s an outstanding receiver and he’s the beneficiary,” Kelly said. “That itself I think has allowed him to not be frustrated, because he knows when he gets his chances they’re going to be big plays.

With Nabers and Thomas likely leaving after this season, Lacy could see himself in a bigger role next year.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU takes care of business against Georgia State

The Tigers still have a shot at a 10-win season.

The purple and white combo for LSU is one of the best uniform combinations in college football and the uniforms shined bright under the Baton Rouge lights as LSU beat Georgia State 56-14.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] padded his stats for his Heisman campaign as he finished the night with 413 passing yards and eight total touchdowns. (six through the air and two on the ground)

[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] proved once again why he is the best receiver in the country as he racked up 140 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.

The Tigers still have a shot at a 10-win season. They’ll need to beat Texas A&M and win their bowl game.

Here’s the stock report from the win over the Panthers.

Instant Analysis: Jayden Daniels scores 8 total touchdowns in LSU’s blowout win over Georgia State

Jayden Daniels may have added the finishing touches to his Heisman resume on Saturday night.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] may have put the final touches on his Heisman resume as LSU rolled past Georgia State 56-14 to close out the non-conference slate in Week 12.

Daniels accumulated eight total touchdowns (six passing, two rushing), falling one shy of the program record, and accounted for 509 total yards including more than 400 through the air.

He completed 25 of 30 passes, and he spread the ball around well. Three LSU receivers went over 140 yards in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] (140 yards, 2 touchdowns), [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] (103, 1) and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] (101, 2).

The Tigers had some issues defensively in the first half but tightened them up in the second, pitching a shutout in the final two quarters.

It was the kind of performance you’d hope to see against a Sun Belt opponent, and LSU will look to wrap up the regular season at 9-3 when it hosts Texas A&M to close things out next week.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU puts a beatdown on Auburn

LSU welcomed the Auburn Tigers into Baton Rouge and sent them home with their tails tucked between their legs.

LSU welcomed the Auburn Tigers into Baton Rouge and sent them home with their tails tucked between their legs.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and the LSU offense racked up 563 yards of offense as LSU ran away with a 48-18 victory over Hugh Freeze and his Tigers. LSU’s defense did a great job of stopping Auburn for most of the night and we got a full game worth of [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] at linebacker.

Kyren Lacy is making his first appearance on the stock up, stock down series as he led the Tigers with four receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown tonight. The biggest drawback of the night is that LSU is still struggling with penalties.

Instant Analysis: LSU dismantles Auburn in confidence-building win

The Tigers avoided a stressful shootout this time around.

LSU avoided the stresses of the last two weeks against Auburn, starting out strong and finishing even stronger as it rolled to a 48-18 win at Tiger Stadium to mark its second-straight victory in the series.

The Tigers (5-2, 4-1 SEC) jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, and they never gave control of the game back to Auburn as a 13-point halftime lead turned into a 30-point final margin of victory.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] had another Heisman-caliber game as the offense totaled more than 550 yards. Daniels completed 20 of 27 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns, though he did throw an interception in the first half.

He also added 93 yards on the ground, while [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] paced the rushing game with 97 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] had his usual heroics in the receiving game, going for 89 yards and a touchdown on six catches. But it was a quiet day for [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who had just two catches on three targets. [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] picked up the slack, leading the team with 111 receiving yards on just four catches. He also found the end zone.

The offense didn’t emerge completely unscathed, however. Right tackle [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] left the field on crutches with an ankle, didn’t return and was later spotted wearing street clothes and a walking boot.

While the offense was fantastic again, there were also a lot of positives to take away from the defensive performance, though it came against an admittedly bad Auburn offense.

Auburn finished with just 293 yards, and only 154 of those came through the air. The Tigers did have some success on the ground, but it wasn’t enough as they fell into an early hole.

This was an important win for LSU, which faces Army at home next week before the bye. After that, the Tigers hit the road for a game against Alabama that could very well decide the SEC West once again.

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Brian Kelly updates injury report on Thursday leading up to Missouri game in Week 6

The Tigers could be without several contributors against Missouri on Saturday.

As LSU prepares for what feels like a must-win game on the road in Columbia, Missouri, to keep the team’s SEC West hopes alive, it could be without several key players when it faces the unbeaten Missouri Tigers.

Coach Brian Kelly listed three primary contributors as doubtful: receiver [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], receiver/returner [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag].

Hilton and Anderson are rotational receivers, though the latter sees expanded action on special teams in the return game. If neither are able to suit up, it could open the door for [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] to see even more targets.

Speights, an All-Pac-12 transfer from Oregon State, could be set to miss his third game of the season. After suffering a hip flexor against Grambling, he missed the wins over Mississippi State and Arkansas before returning last week.

However, he found himself back on the injury report this week, and that could mean that true freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] will make his third start of the season against Mizzou.

The Tigers will look to get back in the win column against Missouri on Saturday morning in a game that kicks at 11 a.m. CT.

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