LSU football wide receiver Malik Nabers shares progress on goals for 2023

By far, the most impressive part of coach Brian Kelly’s Tigers in 2023 has been the offense. More specifically, LSU football wide receiver Malik Nabers has been about as good as anyone in college football. Earlier this week, the star receiver joined “Out of Pocket” on SEC Network to discuss goals, including his push for the Biletnikoff Award.

LSU football wide receiver Malik Nabers making serious progress on 2023 goals

Heading into the 2023 season, there was no doubt that junior receiver Malik Nabers would be good. It was just a matter of how good he would be.

Now, in the midst of week nine, it’s safe to say he’s one of the very best in the country.

So far, through eight games, he’s tied for fourth nationally in touchdown receptions (9) and first in receiving yards (981).

Malik Nabers leads the entire country in receiving yards

-56 Receptions 981 Receiving Yards
-Averaging 7 REC 122 Yards Per Game
-9 Touchdowns (8 Games)

Nabers is indeed THAT guy 🤩
pic.twitter.com/k7sxAFStcs

— Joe O’Leary (@TheHQNerd) October 23, 2023

With numbers like those, he’s more than entered his name into the discussion of best wide receiver in the country. However, do these numbers line up with what he was hoping to accomplish in 2023?

On Wednesday, Nabers joined the “Out of Pocket” show on SEC Network and discussed his progress as a pass-catcher, as well as some goals he had entering the season.

“I set a goal to be more explosive throughout the first three games, so I feel like that has been accomplished,” began LSU football wide receiver Malik Nabers. “I set another goal to reach 1,000 yards; I’m pushing 19 yards away from that. I also set a goal to win the Biletnikoff this year, and that’s just my long-term goal. A thousand yards was my season goal, and being explosive was just my in-game goal.”

The Biletnikoff Award is annually awarded to the nation’s best receiver, and the star LSU pass-catcher is doing an excellent job of making his case. If he can continue to put up the numbers he has, there’s no doubt he could be one of the top contenders for the trophy.

Keys to success

Last season, LSU football wide receiver Malik Nabers somewhat had his breakout moment. Despite not entering as the top target, he found a way to make quite the impact on offense.

In total, he recorded 72 receptions for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns. However, through just eight games, he’s well on track to smash those numbers.

Last time we saw LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, he was going “FULL GROWN MAN” against Purdue 👀

Where does the #GeauxTigers pass catcher rank amongst the best in the #SEC?pic.twitter.com/7Q2Hu3C072

— College Football Network (@CFN365) June 16, 2023

He entered the season with some goals in mind, and he worked at it. Not to mention, it takes a special kind of confidence to dominate at the rate he has.

When asked about what gives him the ability to make so many big catches, he spoke about confidence not only in himself but in his quarterback, Jayden Daniels.

“I feel like it’s just the chip on my shoulder that I bring when I step onto the field,” said the star receiver. “Just the dominant mindset that I have – when the ball is in the air, I just feel like it’s always mine. My quarterback trusts me enough for me to make that play, and so I just come down with the ball every time he just throws the ball up to me.”

The Tigers return to the field a week from now, as coach Brian Kelly’s squad takes on Alabama in Tuscaloosa on November 4 at 6:45 p.m. CST.

Thank you for reading LSU Glory. For more LSU Glory content, covering all things LSU athletics, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our Twitter account. It is thanks to your support that we can continue to grow into one of the fastest-growing and most influential LSU media outlets there is.