Tiger football has officially gotten summer camp off to a start, as the players begin working with strength and conditioning coach Jake Flint ahead of more football related drills later on in the season. With one full week under their belt, LSU veteran wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr is notably impressing early on, most recently being named “Freak of the Week” for his efforts of late.
LSU veteran wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr named first summer “Freak of the Week”
It’s been a career of patience for LSU veteran wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr, and now as we head into his senior season, it appears that hard work is finally paying off, as the speedy pass catcher has officially been named the first “Freak of the Week” for summer camp.
Heading into the 2024 offseason, there was plenty of unknown as it relates to the passing game. As if losing Heisman winning quarterback Jayden Daniels weren’t enough, both of their star receivers also elected for the NFL, with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr each being selected in the first round to the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively.
Now, as we’ve officially found ourselves just months away from the start of the season, we’re also starting to get an idea of where that lost productivity is going to come from in the new season.
Fifth-year senior Kyren Lacy is generally the first name to be brought up by the national media, but one player that’s often forgotten about, but could surprise some people is that of Chris Hilton Jr. A product out of Zachary, LA, the 6-foot, 190-pound pass catcher has been sitting behind the scenes waiting for his opportunity, and it’s finally arrived.
Thanks in large part to his elite-level speed, Hilton Jr is always a threat to go the distance on opposing defenses, and the Tiger offense likely hopes to use that to their advantage in 2024. The biggest concern with the redshirt junior pass catcher is his tendency to drop passes, but with his most recent recognition as “Freak of the Week,” it’s safe to say that he’s at the very least working to improve that aspect of his game.
2024 outlook for the rising senior
While it’s taken three full seasons to make it happen, it appears that Chris Hilton Jr is finally going to get his opportunity to shine in 2024.
Coming off a 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl victory over Wisconsin in which the LSU veteran wide receiver put together an impressive outing, it was a pretty fair bet that he was setting himself up to be one of the focal points of the offense in the coming season.
As a matter of fact, it was a career day for the speedster out of Louisiana, making three receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown. For context, his career totals thus far sit at a modest 22 receptions for 415 yards and three touchdowns.
While there’s plenty of time remaining until the Tigers first take the field vs. USC on September 1 in the Vegas Kickoff Classic, Hilton Jr’s speed alone might be reason enough to get him on the field. If he manages to show improvement in his overall catching ability, he has the potential to become one of the most electric pass catchers in the entire country.
He’ll be competing against an incredibly deep wide receiver room throughout summer camp, battling players such as 5th-Year senior Kyren Lacy, grad student CJ Daniels, junior Zavion Thomas, redshirt sophomore Aaron Anderson, and redshirt freshman Kyle Parker for starting snaps likely all the way up until opening day.
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.
