Expectations are always difficult to gauge, particularly coming out of high school. Sometimes, recruiting specialists get it perfect, and sometimes, a two-star recruit becomes one of the best players in the NFL (hello, Justin Jefferson). Then, occasionally, it just takes a bit longer for a player to reach his college football potential. The latter might be the case for class of 2021 LSU football wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr, as he is now healthy and looking primed for a breakout season in 2023.
LSU football wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr hasn’t quite reached his high school expectations…yet
High school recruiting expectations are often unreasonable. I don’t think that’s the case with former class of 2021 four-star wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. Often, it just takes an extra year or two to begin touching on those lofty expectations, especially when injury is involved.
As a part of the 2021 class, Hilton Jr was listed as the No. 58 player in the country, according to 247 Sports, as well as the No. 3 player in Louisiana. In addition to football, he participated in track and field, specifically in the 100-meter dash and the high jump.
While he’s shown flashes of the potential he showed in high school, he’s been a tough receiver to get a gauge on, mainly because of injury. Over the last two seasons, he’s been sidelined more than he would have liked due to nagging injuries. However, that appears to be the case no more, as he’s been healthy since the spring and has continuously seen his stock rise since.
2023 could be the season for him to take that step forward
Even without Chris Hilton Jr in the mix, LSU football has one of the best receiving corps in college football. With players like Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr, Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson all in the mix, it can be hard to compete for playing time.
However, with that being said, the former class of 2021 four-star might do just that. Entering his redshirt sophomore season completely healthy, Hilton Jr has all the pieces to be a star.
He possesses speed and jumping ability that could challenge just about anyone in college football. If the Tigers manage to get him on the field consistently in 2023, that’s a huge advantage.
At a recent media availability, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock was asked about Hilton Jr and how he was factoring into the rotation. Tiger fans will be thrilled to know he had some excellent things to report. Here is what coach Denbrock had to say about the redshirt sophomore and how he has progressed so far this fall camp:
“Yeah, I love the direction that Chris is going in. He’s really, I think as much as anybody, beginning to kind of stake his claim to some playing time,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said. “He’s been backing up Malik into the boundary most of it, but I think he’s a really smart player; we can move him around if we need to. He’s gonna play for us. His consistency has got to continue to be worked on, but he’s done so much better than at any other point, and I’m excited about where he’s going.”
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