No. 1 Wide Receiver in Louisiana Set to Enroll Early with LSU Football

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers set to bring in The Boot's top-ranked wideout, arriving this month on campus.

Courtesy of Taron Francis's Instagram.

Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff signed a Top-10 Recruiting Class in December after seeing their commitments put pen to paper with the program.

It's a 2025 class that saw the Bayou Bengals add an embarrassment of riches on both sides of the ball with DJ Pickett, the No. 1 rated cornerback in America, headlining the haul.

But there are immediate impact players that aren't receiving as much recognition in the class.

That includes TaRon Francis, the No. 1 rated wide receiver in Louisiana. The Boot's top-ranked wideout signed with LSU in December where he has an opportunity to compete for meaningful snaps on Day 1 in Baton Rouge.

Francis will be an early-enrollee and make his way to campus in January, a source tells LSU Tigers On SI.

It's an important addition for the program given Francis will now have an opportunity to work through spring camp in March and April alongside a gifted receiving corps in Baton Rouge.

#LSU signed the No. 1 WR in Louisiana last month: TaRon Francis.

Now, the top-ranked wideout in The Boot is set to make his way to campus in January as an early-enrollee.

Francis will come in and compete on Day 1 during spring camp alongside a talented LSU receiving corps. pic.twitter.com/jqV8IOCpKy

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) January 7, 2025

The 6-foot, 206-pounder is a consensus four-star wide receiver out of Edna Karr High in New Orleans. Now, he'll look to carry his success to LSU after an impressive prep carreer.

Francis joins a talented wide receiver room in Death Valley where Garrett Nussmeier will have an embarrassment of riches to work with in 2025.

Who's set to be in Baton Rouge to make up the receiving corps?

The State of the LSU Wide Receiver Room:

The Key Returning Pieces: Aaron Anderson, Chris Hilton and Zavion Thomas

Aaron Anderson: Starting Wideout

The Louisiana native is fresh off of a breakout campaign in 2024 after becoming one of Garrett Nussmeier's top weapons on offense.

It's been an interesting ride for Anderson. After signing with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2022, he elected to redshirt in his lone season in Tuscaloosa.

After one year, he made the move to return to the Bayou State where he was used sparingly as a redshirt-freshman in 2023. He tallied 12 catches for 59 yards and zero touchdowns.

Then, in 2024, it all came together for the coveted wideout. Anderson pieced together a breakout season this fall after tallying 53 receptions for 784 yards and five touchdowns.

Now, the lone returning starter from the 2024 season in the receiver room will look to carry his momentum into next fall.

Zavion Thomas: Speedy, Veteran Presence

LSU wideout Zavion Thomas wrapped up his first season in Baton Rouge as a dynamic weapon for Nussmeier and the offense.

The Louisiana native tallied 20 receptions for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns on offense, but his key contributions came on special teams.

Now, heading into the 2025 season, Thomas will look to take that next step and become a key weapon in the system.

The Transfer Additions: Nic Anderson and Barion Brown

Nic Anderson: No. 5 WR in the Transfer Portal

Anderson set the Oklahoma freshman record for touchdown receptions with 10 in 2023. His 798 receiving yards that year rank No. 2 in Oklahoma history for a freshman. In two years with the Sooners, Anderson appeared in 17 games with six starts, all coming as a redshirt freshman in 2023. Anderson missed the entire 2024 season with an injury.

Anderson earned Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic in 2023 and was twice named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. He had three 100-yard games with a career-high 120 yards on three receptions against Tulsa. All three of his receptions against Tulsa went for touchdowns.

Barion Brown: No. 8 WR in the Transfer Portal

Brown went public with a decision to sign with the LSU Tigers earlier this month after a visit to Baton Rouge. Following a three-year stint with Kentucky, Brown now heads to LSU with over 120 career catches, 1500+ receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns.

Brown also holds the record for most kick return touchdowns in SEC history with five in his college career. Look for Brown to be an integral piece to LSU's success in 2025.

"Explosiveness, veteran presence, maturity that he brings to the room. We have some young players and I think it's pretty clear, when you're recruiting receivers you're looking at who your quarterback is to. You've got a veteran quarterback, someone who can push the ball down the field. He looked at that, at the success of the receivers at LSU. He's an explosive player and I think it was pretty easy this was going to be a great fit for him," Kelly said last month.

More LSU News:

LSU Adds Commitments From Seven Top-100 Transfers in the Portal

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

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

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