Kyren Lacy is likely the most experienced receiver on No. 13 LSU’s team now.
In his two seasons with the Tigers after transferring from Louisiana-Lafayette, Lacy has gained 826 yards receiving. This is just over half of what LSU’s all-time receiving leader Malik Nabers achieved last season alone.
“The whole offense is different,” Lacy said. “We have a new identity.”
Lacy is the only returning starter from the 2023 LSU passing game, which featured Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels (3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns passing), All-America selection Nabers (1,569 yards, 14 TDs), and receiver Brian Thomas (1,177 yards, 17 TDs).
Now Garrett Nussmeier is the starting quarterback as LSU prepares for its 2024 season opener against 23rd-ranked Southern California in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The Tigers’ expected starting receivers are Lacy, Chris Hilton, and Liberty transfer CJ Daniels.
However, Hilton has been trying to recover from an unspecified bone bruise that has left him questionable for this week, according to LSU coach Brian Kelly.
“I know he wants to play,” Kelly said Wednesday. “I know he’s working towards playing on Sunday and we’ll just see how the week goes.”
Hilton, a fourth-year player, had 225 yards and two touchdowns receiving last season. Both he and Lacy are looking to increase their production now that they are at the top of LSU’s depth chart. CJ Daniels is also eager to see how his performance from Liberty last season — 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns — compares in the SEC.
If Hilton cannot play, second-year Tiger Kyle Parker, who has no career catches, would take his place, Kelly said.
“He’s had a great camp,” Kelly said. “We feel really good about what he can do for us. All of these guys that we recruit to LSU are going to have the skill sets necessary to play in the SEC.
It’s really about this consistent performance level, play in and play out, practice in and practice out, that gives us the trust and confidence that we’re going to get that when it’s time to perform. That’s what Kyle has shown us.”
Nussmeier is very positive about the talent in LSU’s current receiving group, which also includes Zavion Thomas and Aaron Anderson. Both Thomas and Anderson might get more playing time if Hilton cannot play.
“They’re all very talented,” Nussmeier said. “They’re all going to do very special things.”
Unlike Jayden Daniels, who also led LSU in rushing last season, Nussmeier is more of a traditional pocket passer. He has waited three years to become a starter and spent the past two seasons as Daniels’ backup.
But he has a strong background; his father is former NFL player and current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback coach Doug Nussmeier.
“Just having him to be able to give feedback and bounce different ideas off of is unreal,” said the younger Nussmeier, noting that he talks with his father almost every day. “He helps me through some of the things that I struggled with that day and things like that.”
Nussmeier has also shown promise. At the end of last season, he started the ReliaQuest Bowl, passing for 395 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 35-31 win over Wisconsin.
