Tiger fans will be seeing plenty of new pass catchers in the upcoming 2024 season. With Brian Thomas Jr and Malik Nabers now declaring for the NFL draft, hereās an updated look at the future LSU wide receiver room.
LSU wide receiver room losing big-time players to the NFL
Despite an excellent start to the 2024 calendar year, LSU hasnāt exactly been a stranger to its fair share of losses. Most notably, two of the best pass catchers to ever don the purple and gold, Brian Thomas Jr and Malik Nabers are officially heading off to the NFL.
In the case of Nabers, he found immediate success in Baton Rouge, and will now leave the program as the all-time receptions and receiving yards leader. Having totaled 189 receptions for 3,003 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last three seasons, he will now head into the 2024 NFL draft as the No. 2 wide receiver prospect and No. 4 player overall, according to the PFF Big Board.
Brian Thomas Jr, on the other hand, took some time to get things going, but has now put together one of the best seasons in Tiger history. Having caught 17 touchdowns in 2023, he not only led the country in touchdown receptions this year, but his season total ranks No. 3 behind Justin Jefferson (18) and JaāMarr Chase (20) from 2019.
Thomas Jr ranks No. 4 on the wide receiver big board and No. 21 overall, according to PFF.
With those two getting ready to take over the next level, several other young players are about get a major boost in opportunity looking ahead to the 2024 LSU wide receiver room.
Returning talent
When preparing to lose two of the best wide receivers in college football at the same time, there understandably could be a bit of an adjustment period. Still, the Tigers arenāt exactly hurting for potential when looking ahead to 2024.
Right away, three names to watch heading into the new year are Aaron Anderson Jr, Chris Hilton Jr and Kyren Lacy. All three are heading into at least their junior season and have seen at least some game action throughout their careers.
While Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr were the stars of the show throughout 2023, all three of Anderson Jr, Hilton Jr and Lacy showed flashes. Most importantly, however, is that they showed it against Wisconsin in the recent ReliaQuest Bowl.
While Anderson Jr, the youngest of the group failed to record a catch, Hilton Jr and Lacy were making plays all over the field. The pair combined for nine receptions, 151 yards and one touchdown, while averaging over 16 yards per catch.
Aside from the three veterans, several young pieces in the LSU wide receiver room could step up, including freshmen Shelton Sampson Jr and Kyle Parker.
New additions to know
One thing that remains true about some of the best college football programs in the country is that they donāt rebuild. Instead, they build their team up to the point that thereās a constant flow of talent moving in and out.
For coach Brian Kelly, this is exactly where heās working towards and groups like the upcoming class of 2024 will be a major part in making it happen. Looking ahead to next season, LSU is bringing in at least four new wide receivers, including three freshmen.
Transfer portal addition Zavion Thomas out of Mississippi State is the veteran of the group, bringing two years of experience to the table. In his time with the Bulldogs, the former four-star recruit totaled 42 receptions for 507 yards and one touchdown. However, itās likely the return game where heāll make the biggest impact, having amassed 662 yards and two touchdowns between kickoff and punt returns since 2022.
The three freshmen, on the other hand, are Kylan Billiot, Jelani Watkins and Michael Turner. All three are rated as four-star recruits and will each bring something unique to the table.
At the end of the day, there are only so many snaps to go around over the course of a football season. Still, the Tigers have no shortage of options, so expect to see plenty more big plays from the LSU wide receiver room heading into the future.
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