Tag: Shelton Sampson Jr.

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

2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 6 Shelton Sampson Jr.

The blue-chip wideout joins a talented receiver room, but the Baton Rouge native has the talent to make an impact as a true freshman for the Tigers this fall.

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 breaking down one of the biggest signees from the 2023 class in hometown prospect [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] The blue-chip wideout joins a talented receiver room, but the Baton Rouge native has the talent to make an impact on offense as a true freshman for the Tigers this fall.

Shelton Sampson Jr. Preseason Player Profile

LSU receives prediction for 4-star 2024 wide receiver

Jelani Watkins could be heading to Baton Rouge, based on this recent projection.

On3 LSU insider Shea Dixon has predicted that 2024 four-star wide receiver Jelani Watkins will commit to LSU.

Watkins is a 5-foot-9, 150-pound speedster from Houston where he plays for Klein Forest High School. Watkins holds offers from multiple Division I schools, and Texas A&M, Oregon and Michigan were all considered to be in the running to land him.

LSU currently has three wide receiver commitments for the 2024 class, four-stars [autotag]Joseph Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag], and three-star [autotag]Kylan Billiot[/autotag]. The Tigers class currently ranks as the No. 8 class in the country according to 247Sports.

With [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and possibly [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] moving on after next fall, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is trying to find some guys that can fill the void that those two players will leave.

There are promising guys on the team already ([autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]) who can try to fill those roles, but you never know if any players will live up to their full potential.

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Where does LSU’s 2023 recruiting class stand in the final 247Sports Composite Rankings?

The Tigers sit just outside the top five in the final rankings.

Signing day is done and dusted, and LSU’s 2023 recruiting class is officially in the books.

It was a bit anti-climactic for the Tigers — as is the case at many programs since the proliferation of the early signing period. LSU signed 25 high school players back in December while also adding 11 transfers already this offseason, and the program has largely turned its attention to 2024 since then.

It was a great bump class for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]. It didn’t quite crack the top five, but it featured a pair of five-stars in offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] — a top 15 overall player — and edge rusher [autotag]DaShawn Womack[/autotag]. LSU also added two top-100 receivers in [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and a stable of blue-chip players in the secondary.

Here’s where LSU’s promising haul stacks up against the rest of the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

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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Two 2023 LSU commits pick up fifth star from 247Sports

Zalance Heard and Dashawn Womack are now among the top group of prospects in the 2023 class.

A couple of LSU commits got rankings bumps this week and now reside in the elite tier.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] both picked up their fifth star on 247Sports. Heard is now also a five-star in the 247Sports Composite and the On3 Consensus rankings.

Womack now has five stars from 247 and On3, but due to his lower rankings from Rivals and ESPN, he is yet to grab the fifth star on either of the composite or consensus rankings.

I wouldn’t rule out Womack eventually entering the consensus five-star group. While he’s always been a top-300 prospect, his rise into the elite didn’t come until this past summer and fall.

 

ESPN and Rivals might still be catching up, and slight bumps in their rankings could be enough to boost Womack. LSU now has three recruits that have a five-star from one place or another.

[autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] has five stars on On3 but just four stars from the other services. As a whole, LSU’s class ranks fifth according to On3 and seventh per 247.

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LSU makes the top 8 for 4-star 2024 receiver

LSU made the cut for one of 2024’s top wide receivers in JJ Harrell.

While schools make their final pushes for 2023 prospects, the 2024 recruitments are beginning to heat up.

According to 247 Sports, LSU’s 2024 class is currently the country’s best and LSU is positioned well with plenty of its top targets too. One of those targets is four-star wide receiver [autotag]J.J. Harrell[/autotag]. He recently dropped his top eight, and LSU made the cut.

247 Sports has yet to enter any Crystal Ball predictions for Harrell, but On3’s prediction machine currently has Ole Miss and Mississippi State leading for the Mississippi native. LSU’s 2024 class already has two pass catchers with receiver [autotag]Joseph Stone[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Tayvion Galloway[/autotag].

 

LSU also remains in a good spot with Louisiana tight end [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag].

There isn’t a flurry of Louisiana pass catchers in the 2024 class, so Brian Kelly and staff will have to look elsewhere. LSU has a solid group of receivers in its 2023 class, headlined by hometown kid [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag].

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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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LSU now leads country in five-star commits per On3

LSU’s got plenty of talent at the top of its class.

On3 released its latest player rankings for the 2023 cycle and LSU now leads the country with three five-star commits.

Prior to the release, LSU had two five-stars in the class with OL [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and WR [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]. They’re now joined by DL [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag], who earned his fifth star and now ranks 22nd overall.

It’s a contrast to the 247Sports Composite and ESPN rankings, where LSU doesn’t have a single five-star. In both the 247 and ESPN rankings, Sampson remains LSU’s top recruit but has yet to pick up a five-star.

Heard is LSU’s top recruit according to the On3 rankings, coming in a little bit above Sampson. Regardless, LSU’s overall class ranks sits in the top five per On3 and 247.

LSU could add another five-star in the coming months, with [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag]’ recruitment heating up and nearing a close.

Outside of Ricks, I wouldn’t bet on LSU picking up any other five stars in this cycle. Many of them are already committed and there’s not much smoke there with anyone else.

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LSU set to host first official visitor of the football season

The Tigers are looking to sway yet another blue-chip prospect, this time an edge rusher from out west.

This Saturday morning, the LSU Tigers welcome the Tennessee Volunteers into town for a huge SEC matchup. The Volunteers aren’t the only ones LSU is hosting, though, as the Tigers will welcome their first official visitor of the 2022 season.

[autotag]Tausili Akana[/autotag], a 2023 four-star EDGE from Lehi, Utah, and Skyridge High School, will be in town to check out LSU. Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] currently has 22 commits for the 2023 class, led by five-star wide receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]

Akana has an SEC-heavy list of possible landing spots. He is currently Crystal Balled to Oklahoma (a future SEC school), and Texas (another future SEC school) is the favorite to land him per On3.

Brian Kelly has done an incredible job so far recruiting against the best teams in the country. He will hope Akana falls in love with the Bayou this weekend.

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