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LSU Football | Wilson Alexander On Chris Hilton | Jacques Doucet On LSU Season & Nick Underhill
An LSU wide receiver is almost back, and his return might give the Tigers a deep threat → Wilson Alexander
For the first time this season, Chris Hilton warmed up before LSU’s 34-17 win over UCLA.
The redshirt junior wide receiver did not play as he recovered from an ankle injury, but Hilton has made progress.
After missing the first four games, Hilton may finally return when No. 14 LSU hosts South Alabama. If he does, LSU coach Brian Kelly thinks he could add another dimension to the offense.
“I think we need Chris Hilton back, and this seems to be the week where we feel like we’re going to get him back healthy,” Kelly said. “If we can add that vertical passing game, another element to it, I think it just makes it even better.”
LSU’s D-Line provides spark as Tigers look for consistency
Through a quarter of the season, the biggest storyline on LSU’s defense has not been the play of the new-look secondary or the talented linebacker corps, but instead the steady improvement of the defensive line.
Bo Davis and Kevin Peoples had a tall task entering the season – Brian Kelly himself said as much. Then you factor in the loss of starting defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory and you have a defensive line in need of more playmakers.
That’s where the defensive ends step up first and foremost. Bradyn Swinson has won SEC Defensive lineman of the week in back to back performances and solidified himself as the best player on LSU’s defense so far this year with 16 tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles. Then you add in Saivion Jones’ four sacks and two forced fumbles and the Tigers have a a formidable 1-2 punch on the edge that can get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Then you add sophomore Dashawn Womack, freshman Gabriel Reliford, and the versatile Paris Shand and it’s a group of edge rushers that is an outright strength this year.
Ranking LSU’s Top 5 Transfers
No. 1: WR Zavion Thomas – Mississippi State … Thomas was set to take over as LSU’s starter on kickoff and punt returns, and the Louisiana native has been excellent. The Tigers didn’t eclipse 100 total return yards in either of Brian Kelly’s first two seasons at LSU, but Thomas topped that mark through two games, and he now sits at 180 yards on 8 returns. With more than 200 total return yards, he’s been the perfect addition for a position the Tigers pushed to the side the past two seasons. Still, don’t sleep on what Thomas can do at wide receiver. Headed into Week 5, Thomas is Top 5 on the team in catches (10) and has the second-most receiving touchdowns (2) behind wide receiver Kyren Lacy (5).
No. 2: WR CJ Daniels – Liberty … Daniels went over 1,000 receiving yards and had 10 touchdowns a year ago at Liberty, so there were high hopes he could step into LSU’s wide receiver room and help fill the void left by a pair of first-round NFL Draft picks. Daniels has caught at least three passes in each of LSU’s four games this season, but he got off to a slow start by turning three catches into just 19 yards in a Week 1 loss to Southern Cal. Since then, Daniels 4 passes for 71 yards vs. Nicholls, 4 passes for 53 yards against South Carolina and 6 catches for 56 yards against UCLA. He’s yet to score a touchdown, but Daniels has certainly developed into a reliable option for Garrett Nussmeier in the passing game.
No. 3 DT Gio Paez – Wisconsin … LSU landed two defensive tackles in the portal this offseason, and Paez has logged 123 snaps across his first four weeks in Baton Rouge. The veteran defensive lineman, who transferred in after starting for Wisconsin, has been key given the loss of defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory (achilles injury) by starting in all four games so far this season. He’s logged nine tackles, a tackle for loss, and has shown nice flashes seemingly each week.
No. 4 S Jardin Gilbert – Texas A&M … Gilbert was LSU’s second-highest rated transfer behind Liberty’s CJ Daniels, but the first four games in purple-and-gold have brought ups and downs. Gilbert started in Week 1 vs. Southern Cal, but he was ejected for targeting in the final minutes, which forced him to sit out the first half of the Week 2 matchup with Nicholls. In that span, LSU has turned to true freshman Da’Shawn Spears for multiple starts, and the move to a 4-3 defense and the return of cornerback Zy Alexander put both Major Burnsand Sage Ryan back at safety – a position that had already seen Jordan Allen get the starting nod in two games before an injury forced him to miss the SEC opener at South Carolina. Gilbert’s 125 snaps are third-most among LSU safeties, trailing Burns (207) and Ryan (130), and he’s logged five tackles (four solo) with a forced fumble, an interception and a pair of pass breakups.
No. 5: DT Jay’viar Suggs – Grand Valley State …
