The State of the LSU Football Wide Receiver Room Following Portal Moves

LSU signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier set to have an embarrassment of riches to work with, talented receiver room.

Oklahoma's Nic Anderson (4) scores touchdown in the first half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Central Florida Knights at Gaylord Family Oklahoma-Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct., 21, 2023. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff have retooled the wide receiver room heading into the 2025 season after making roster moves in December.

With Kyren Lacy off to the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tigers will lose their WR1 from the 2024 season, but Kelly and Co. have had a few tricks up their sleeve.

It'll be a reconstructed receiving corps in 2025 with multiple newcomers heading to town along with 2024 signees looking to take that next step in year two with the program.

What weapons will Garrett Nussmeier be working with next fall? Who has departed the program?

A look into the state of the LSU wide receiver room:

The Key Departures: Kyren Lacy and CJ Daniels

Kyren Lacy: 2025 NFL Draft

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is rated as the No. 6 wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to ESPN. CBS Sports labels him as the No. 13 wideout in the upcoming draft.

Lacy made the move to transfer to LSU after a pair of seasons with the UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns under Billy Napier and Co.

Then, once Napier departed for the Florida Gators head coaching gig, Lacy made the move to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and make the move to Baton Rouge.

From there, he showed progression each year leading up to his senior campaign with the program in his fifth season of college ball.

Lacy wrapped up his final season in the purple and gold with 58 catches for 866 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. He led the program in all categories.

The Louisiana native ends his LSU career with with 112 catches for 1,692 yards and 16 touchdowns in 39 games played. Lacy started in 24 games.

CJ Daniels: Transfer Portal

Daniels, who transferred to LSU last offseason after a dominant career with the Liberty Flames, started in 10 of his 11 games played for LSU during the 2024 season.

He totaled 42 receptions for 480 yards and zero touchdowns during his time with the Tigers.

Daniels joined the Tigers last spring after catching 106 passes for 1,954 yards and 21 touchdowns in four seasons at Liberty.

In 2023, Daniels earned second-team All-Conference USA honors following a season that saw him catch 55 passes for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns.

In 2023, he finished second in Conference USA in receiving yards and touchdowns and ranked fifth in the league in receptions.

The Key Returning Pieces: Aaron Anderson 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 on Monday.

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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