Tag: malik nabers

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 ESPN says about LSU in its SEC West preview

There’s a wide range of possibilities for LSU in the West this year.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly released his SEC West preview earlier this week. Connelly is best known for his SP+ ratings, a system that uses advanced metrics to predict results.

LSU fans may not be happy to see where SP+ has the team.

The rankings place the Tigers last in the West, projecting them to win just 2.8 conference games and giving them only a 45% chance to make a bowl game. However, Connelly writes that if transfers work out for LSU, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] could have a top 15 team this fall.

Connelly says LSU’s defensive line has the potential to be excellent and likes some of the transfers LSU brought in on defense. His guess is that Jayden Daniels wins the starting quarterback job, but that could change at any moment.

Continuing to discuss the offense, Connelly pointed out LSU’s strength at receiver and questions at other positions.

The running back position is terribly unproven, as is the offensive line, but the receiving corps — led by a healthy [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and reinforced by [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] and a trio of sophomores ([autotag]Jack Bech,[/autotag] [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]) — is high end.

Whoever the quarterback is, offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] might find himself leaning on the passing game in his first season as the play-caller in Baton Rouge.

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WATCH: Malik Nabers makes acrobatic touchdown grab in spring game

Myles Brennan connected with Nabers as the third quarter winded down in Saturday’s spring scrimmage.

Without star receiver [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag], who is still recovering from offseason surgery, available for the spring game on Saturday, LSU’s other receivers got the opportunity to showcase their skills.

One player who many were excited to see was sophomore [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who became the team’s top option after Boutte’s 2021 season ended prematurely.

As the clock ran out in the third quarter of the exhibition, Nabers made an excellent play on a home-run ball from quarterback [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] inside the red zone. The ball was tipped, but Nabers’ concentration allowed him to make the juggling catch and do the necessary footwork to stay inside the end zone and give the offense a 52-28 lead.

Nabers is one of several Tigers pass-catchers to make some nice plays on Saturday, including [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag]. Once Boutte is back in the fold and hopefully healthy this fall, this will be a tough receiver group for opposing defenses to contend with.

The only question is which quarterback will be the one throwing to them.

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Where do LSU’s passers stand in SEC quarterback rankings?

The duo of Jayden Daniels and Myles Brennan landed 10th in On3’s SEC quarterback rankings.

This LSU team has a lot to figure out this spring, but much of the discussion so far has centered around the quarterback battle.

There are two primary competitors to win the job: [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], a redshirt senior whose career has been marred by injuries and was talked out of the transfer portal by coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], the player Kelly added in the transfer portal.

Daniels comes from Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter and had productive seasons in 2019 and 2020 before struggling this past year. He’ll look for more success in Baton Rouge, and many consider him the favorite to win the job.

Regardless of which signal-caller gets the nod initially, On3’s Jesse Simonton ranked LSU’s quarterback position at 10th in the SEC.

Brian Kelly has the rest of the summer and fall to determine who will be his quarterback Week 1 against Florida State, but it wouldn’t surprise me if both Brennan and Daniels, a transfer from Arizona State, see action to start the season. Brennan shocked many when he took his name out of the transfer portal to return to LSU, but then Kelly went and recruited Daniels away from ASU. The Tigers have a shoddy offensive line and their once-vaunted run game has been absent in recent years, but they are loaded at receiver.

As Simonton notes, the quarterback certainly won’t be wanting for targets in the passing game. The Tigers return Kayshon Boutte, one of the top receivers in the nation, as well as other contributors like [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag].

The big challenge for LSU will be up front, where it has to replace four of five starters from a year ago along the offensive line. That could prove to be the limiting factor this season, but given the fact that the Tigers have two veteran players with experience competing for the job, it’s hard to imagine the winner of the job can’t be in the top half of the league’s passers.

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Evaluating LSU’s wide receiver room in 2022 and beyond

We take a look at how LSU stacks up at wide receiver in 2022 and the years to come

When Brian Kelly first took the job at LSU, perhaps his most daunting task was to rebuild the roster.

That’s what this is, after all, a rebuild. Rebuilding takes time. When Kelly took this job, it was clear it would take some time to fill this roster.

In a short time, Kelly and the staff have done a good job at steering the ship in the right direction. LSU has been active in the portal and LSU has done what it can do on the recruiting trail.

With all the movement that has gone on, it was easy to miss some things. The roster looks wildly different now than it did in November.

There’s now some time to take a look at how the roster is positioned heading into 2022 and the future.

LSU looks good at some positions such as defensive line and quarterback. There are position groups that are trending up, such as linebackers and safety. Some question marks remain too, like cornerback and offensive line.

The pandemic combined with new transfer rules has presented challenges to managing a roster over the last couple of years. These are things coaches plan for years in advance. Recent turbulence in the sport has forced coaches to adjust.

Now that we’ve done quarterback and running back, today we will take a look at the wide receiver position.

2022 Season: LSU ranks in the bottom half for returning production

Things will look a lot different in Death Valley.

It isn’t always the case but more often than not, returning production can be a key indicator to success for the upcoming season. Looking at the LSU Tigers, they rank among the bottom half of the FBS in returning players from a season ago. LSU has 62% of their team returning in 2022, which is No. 82 in FBS according to Bill Connolly of ESPN (subscription required).

Looking at the numbers for the SEC, only the Texas A&M Aggies and Georgia Bulldogs have less returning production. Those two teams also had two of the top three recruiting classes in 2022. Neither made much of an impact adding talent through the transfer portal.

Given the lack of wins over the last two years, perhaps the lack of returning production is a good thing. The team underperformed since that night in New Orleans in the College Football Playoff national championship game. They have won just 11 games over two seasons which prompted athletic director Scott Woodward to make a change at head coach.

Brian Kelly didn’t inherit the greatest team but he quickly went to work looking to re-stock this roster.

Offensive Returning Production: 54% (No. 96)

Scott Clause/The Daily Advertiser

The offense took a major hit as they lost their starting quarterback to Texas A&M and countless transfers. They will have to replace almost their entire offensive line. But the team still has leading receiver Kayshon Boutte and that is a good place to start.

Key Returners: Myles Brennan, Kayshon Boutte, Jack Bech, Malik Nabers

Defensive Returning Production: 69% (No. 58)

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

LSU fared a little better with the defensive returning production. The top ones returning are linebacker Micah Baskerville and edge defender BJ Ojulari. Baskerville finished second on the team in tackles behind Damone Clark while Ojulari led the team in quarterback pressures and sacks. Both will be crucial to getting back to the top of the SEC West. If not to just win a couple of more games than they did a year ago.

Key Returners: Micah Baskerville, BJ Ojulari, Ali Gaye, Maason Smith, and Jay Ward.

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Five LSU freshman poised for big second seasons

These five could be in line for bigger roles in 2022

As we continue to review the 2021 season and look ahead to 2022, we have the freshman class of last season. The team dealt with injury after injury forcing the young guns into action.

Some earned bigger roles due to their talent level such as Maason Smith. Others were forced onto the field earlier than expected due to the growing number of injuries at the position, such as Malik Nabers. He likely would have seen the field regardless but the injury to Boutte forced them to up his number of snaps. Not to mention Trey Palmer had issues prior to joining the transfer portal.

One player that isn’t on our list of freshmen poised to have big seasons next year is quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. The redshirt freshman in 2022 would certainly qualify but it is likely that Myles Brennan could win the starting role for the LSU offense in 2022.

Should Brennan struggle or suffer yet another injury then Nuss will need to be ready to go. With a new system and a new quarterback coach in Joe Sloan, his development will be key. He seemed erratic at times when on the field in 2021, the new staff will need to reign him in a bit. Brian Kelly typically likes to roll with a veteran quarterback, so be on the lookout for Brennan to take hold of the starting job in 2022.

LSU’s breakout candidates for the 2022 season

These 10 Tigers could have a breakout season in 2022.

Going 11-12 over the last two seasons didn’t sit well with decision-makers in Baton Rouge. For that reason, Ed Orgeron was shown the door in favor of Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly. He has shown the ability to win wherever he goes but the title still eludes him.

Turning the LSU Tigers around isn’t going to be an easy task but Kelly understood he couldn’t rebuild this team through the recruiting class alone. He would need to dip into the transfer portal to get instant impact players for this team.

However, they still have plenty of impact players on the roster. Guys like Kayshon Boutte are known commodities. He will be the top target on the offensive side of the ball. What about the breakout guys?

LSU Tigers Wire breaks down their list of 10 breakout candidates:

Kayshon Boutte ranked among top three returning wide receivers

A big season coming for No. 1.

There are plenty of top wide receivers returning in college football for the 2022 season. This group could be a very strong wide receiver corp that is highly drafted in 2023.

LSU will be led by junior wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who returns for what could be his final season in Purple and Gold. The former Westgate standout burst onto the scene in his freshman year. Following the departures of tight end Arik Gilbert and wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr, it was time for No. 1 to step up to the plate. He didn’t disappoint in the final three games of 2020.

Heading into 2021, it was again time for Boutte to show what he was made of. He was the top touchdown producer in college football up until his foot injury that required season-ending surgery. With a new staff and the return of quarterback Myles Brennan, we hope to finally see a full year of Kayshon Boutte on display.

In two seasons, Boutte has hauled in 83 passes for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns. Most of that damage has come over the last nine games he appeared in. The final three games of 2020 and last season. In that stretch, he hauled in 65 receptions for 1,035 yards and 13 touchdowns. Much the reason why Pro Football Focus has him as the No. 3 returning wide receiver behind Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Pitt’s Jordan Addison.

What PFF Says…

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Boutte played in just six games in his 2021 true sophomore season before suffering a season-ending injury. If fully healthy next fall, the former five-star recruit will give Jaxon Smith-Njigba a run for his money for the Biletnikoff Award in 2022. His acceleration and toughness have helped him to a 77.1 receiving grade during his time in Baton Rouge. He’s unafraid to make plays over the middle of the field and is showing continuous growth with his releases and route-running.

Boutte has been tasked with a significant amount of press coverage when on the outside, and he’s mostly come out on top on such reps. His 2.49 yards per route run and 134.3 passer rating when targeted against press since 2020 ranks sixth and second, respectively, among Power Five wide receivers in that span.

Boutte will lead the group of wide receivers that include Jack Bech, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr. They also will deploy newcomer wide receiver from UL-Lafayette, Kyren Lacy. Lacy led the Ragin Cajuns in receiving this past year.

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Comment below where you think Boutte should be ranked

Early position outlook: How the LSU WRs breakdown

LSU is in pretty good shape at wide receiver

Looking ahead at the position battles as we move towards spring ball. The Tigers saw plenty of movement at the position. It starts with Jontre Kirklin, who moves on after starting the final game at quarterback.

NFL Draft

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Declared for the draft on Jan. 9, 2022

Thus far Kirklin is the only pass catcher that is leaving for the NFL draft. He joined the Tigers in the 2017 recruiting class. After five seasons in Baton Rouge, he moves on to try and make a roster at the NFL level.

Transfer Portal

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

A total of five receivers entered the transfer portal

  • Koy Moore (Oct. 19)
  • Deion Smith (Dec. 7)
  • Trey Palmer (Dec. 16)
  • Alex Adams (Jan. 10)
  • Devonta Lee (Jan. 14)

There is a slight chance that Smith could pull his name out of the portal, but that is not a given at this point. Even with six departures from the wide receiver position, LSU is still in a good spot with their group as a whole.