No. 13 LSU to debut new-look passing game in opener against No. 23 USC

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Kyren Lacy is arguably the most accomplished receiver on No. 13 LSU’s roster now.

His 826 yards receiving in two seasons with the Tigers after transferring from Louisiana-Lafayette are little more than half of what LSU all-time receiving leader Malik Nabers had last season alone.

“The whole offense is different,” Lacy said. “We have a new identity.”

Lacy is the only returning starter from a 2023 LSU passing game that was headlined by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels (3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns passing), an All-America selection in Nabers (1,569 yards, 14 TDs) and receiver Brian Thomas (1,177 yards, 17 TDs).

Now Garrett Nussmeier is the starting QB as LSU heads into its 2024 season opener against 23rd-ranked Southern California in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The Tigers’ trio of starting receivers was expected to be Lacy, Chris Hilton and Liberty transfer CJ Daniels.

Hilton, however, has been trying to recover from an unspecified bone bruise that has left him questionable this week, LSU coach Brian Kelly said.

“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 is a fourth-year player who had 225 yards and two TDs receiving last season. He, like Lacy, are looking for a major spike in production now that they’ve risen to the top of LSU’s depth chart at their position. CJ Daniels, meanwhile, is eager to see how his production at Liberty last season — 1,067 yards and 10 TDs — translates in the SEC.

If Hilton cannot play, second-year Tiger Kyle Parker, who has no career catches, would slide into his spot, 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 doesn’t hedge when he talks up the talent on LSU’s current receiver corps, which also includes Zavion Thomas and Aaron Anderson, both of whom could see additional time on the field 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 as Daniels’ backup.

But he has pedigree; his father is former NFL player and current Philadelphia Eagles QB 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 speaks with his father virtually every day. “He helps me through some of the things that I struggled with that day and things like that.”

Nussmeier also has shown potential. At the end of last season, Nussmeier started the ReliaQuest Bowl, passing for 395 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 35-31 victory over Wisconsin.

This season, he’ll be playing behind an experienced offensive line which is projected to be among the nation’s best in both the running and passing game, giving the Tigers the type of balance than can make a QB’s life a lot easier.

And when Nussmeier does throw, he doesn’t necessarily have to look downfield. It became apparent during August camp that this LSU offense will have its share of quick screens as well.

“We’re trying to get the ball out fast to the quicker guys,” said Lacy, who had 558 yards receiving last season. “You got a lot of different guys that can do different things.”

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