Brian Kelly Clears the Air on Sideline Encounter with LSU Football WR Chris Hilton

Kelly's sideline moment with wideout Chris Hilton took social media by storm, clears the air on Monday.

Nov 16, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA;LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly gestures prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

LSU wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. remains a player looking to hit his stride after missing the first half of the 2024 season while nursing an ankle injury suffered in Fall Camp.

Hilton, who's battled the injury bug during his time with the LSU Tigers, missed the first seven games of the season after being listed as "day-to-day" for over a month and a half.

The redshirt-junior ultimately made his return to the field during Southeastern Conference play against the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station.

But it's clear his timing has been off and it was once again displayed on Saturday against the Florida Gators. Hilton was targeted four times without recording a reception.

After mistiming a jump and coming down without the catch, Hilton went to the sideline where head coach Brian Kelly ripped into the veteran wideout:

I am not a professional lip reader….

But…

Sure did look like Brian Kelly told Chris Hilton this on the sideline…

“Don’t walk away from me! You are f**king uncoachable. Who the f**k do you think you are?”#LSU #Florida #SEC pic.twitter.com/L9v5sr5OUf

— Hunter McCann (@mccann_hunter) November 16, 2024

During Kelly's Monday press conference, he addressed the viral clip and the conversation he had with Hilton:

"This is about a guy that's anxious and wants to make plays and has to let the game come to him," Kelly said. "Matter of fact, that was the conversation we had on the sideline and understanding that these are the things that we talked about in practice and they're still showing up in the game. Let the game come to you. And he clearly understood that."

"We've had conversations in practice about using your speed and continuing to keep your feet on the ground," Kelly said. "Chris desperately wants to make plays for us. He's in that mindset. I think it's much more about letting the game come to you, and part of that has been he's been out so long and he wants to make an impact."

It's been a challenging stretch for the LSU Tigers after three consecutive losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida.

SEC Network host Paul Finebaum assessed where the program is at after regressing in Year 3 of the Kelly Era.

“Well, he simply walked into a hornets nest right now because the season is literally on the brink,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic. “It looks like a train wreck from a distance. We’re not there, but everyone now is just going to start piling on him from his own fan base, which is the worst to fan bases around the country, to especially Notre Dame fans, who I think are probably taking great pleasure in his failings. And there’s really no way to sugar coat a three year experience that has not gone particularly well. 

“And I’m aware like you are what he did the first year, but there’s almost nothing for Brian Kelly to say now, other than to try to salvage what looks like a fantastic recruiting class and turn this thing around quickly, because no one is going to be very forgiving for a guy who’s making $10 million a year, who has the highest paid assistant coaching staff in the country, who has four losses, but quite frankly, probably should have six.”

Finebaum also addressed the viral clip of Kelly ripping into Hilton:

“I don’t know what happened on the sidelines the other day, other than what I’ve seen, but those type of things metastasize, and I am particularly interested in what he has to say today, because he’s a smart coach. He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve dealt with. He knows what people are saying, not that he’s obsessing over it because you can’t afford to not with a schedule like everybody has. But what you laid out there, Greg is probably realistic in principle, but fans simply do not want to hear it.”

Now, with the Tigers sitting at 6-4 on the season, they'll face the Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 13 with kickoff set for 6:45 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

More LSU News:

Paul Finebaum: LSU, Brian Kelly in a "Really Bad Spot" Moving Forward

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.