WATCH: LSU football QBs during team’s first preseason practice
LSU football quarterbacks Garrett Nussmeier (13), Rickie Collins (10), A.J. Swann (15) and Colin Hurley (16) work during the first fall practice.
BATON ROUGE — Last season, LSU football lacked depth at the wide receiver position.
That won’t be the case this season as head coach Brian Kelly and his staff raided the transfer portal over the offseason for quality pass catchers that could provide depth. But, for some, could come in and win position battles to start.
What combination of receivers will start for the Tigers when it takes the field at Clemson to open the season Aug. 30 (6:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Memorial Stadium is the biggest question for LSU.
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We’ll try to answer that question and more as The Daily Advertiser’s position previews roll on with the wide receivers.
Wide receiver depth for LSU football will factor into success
It’s possible that LSU might be three deep at a couple of its receiver positions. In this day and age in college football, that is unheard of and absurd.
Aaron Anderson, Zavion Thomas, Chris Hilton Jr., Kyle Parker and a few others that didn’t see much time return from the 2024 squad while it lost Kyren Lacy and C.J. Daniels. LSU gets back more than 50% of its receiving touchdowns from last year. Anderson paced the team in receiving yard with 884 yards, while scoring five times.
The LSU staff went out and added Barion Brown, Nic Anderson and Destyn Hill from the transfer portal while signing a couple more in TaRon Francis and Phillip Wright Jr.
One thing the Tigers won’t lack in 2025 is combinations. And the group of Anderson, Hill, Hilton Jr, Anderson, Brown, Thomas and Parker is as good as any wide receiver room out there.
Speed the name of game for LSU football wide receivers
Will defenders be able to keep LSU’s receivers in front of them? The collective speed of the unit for the Tigers should be an advantage on more Saturdays than not in the fall in 2025.
LSU has five wideouts that run sub-4.4 40-yard dashes: Thomas at 4.32, Brown at 4.34, Hilton at 4.35, Jelani Watkins at 4.37 and Anderson at 4.38. Anderson runs a 4.52, and isn’t slow by any stretch of the imagination, while the rest of the guys can run as well.
This might be the fastest receiver group LSU has ever had. The amount of pressure it can put on opposing defenses — with the collective speed by running out of the tackle box, to open space for the run game, to a quick pass game with senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, to scheme up opportunities to get the ball to the speedsters hands in space — will need to be utilized.
Newcomer wide receiver to watch for LSU football
Brown arguably had the best spring of any receiver on LSU’s roster and he could be poised to earn a starting role for the team coming out of preseason practice next month.
At Kentucky, he averaged 12.4 yards per catch last season and finished with 361 yards on 29 receptions. LSU will look to unlock his full potential and with his ability in open space. Brown will benefit from the offensive scheme.
LSU football wide receiver projection depth chart
- Chris Hilton Jr, (6-0, 190), Sr.; Barion Brown (5-11, 180), Sr.; Aaron Anderson (5-8, 188), Jr.
- Nic Anderson (6-4, 210), Jr.; Zavion Thomas (5-10, 191) Sr.; Kyle Parker (5-11, 197), Soph.
- Destyn Hill (6-1, 197), Soph.; TaRon Francis (6-1, 208) Fr.; Jelani Watkins (5-9, 163) Fr.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
