Chris Hilton says LSU's wide receiver competition stands out

Healthy competition can be extremely valuable for the growth of a team, and Chris Hilton has seen that play out this spring in the LSU receivers room. The losses of key contributors Kayshon Boutte, Jaray Jenkins and Jack Bech have given others the opportunity to step into larger roles.

So far in spring practice, Hilton has felt the pressure on the group as he and his teammates fight to separate themselves, but he sees that as a good thing.

“A lot of competition,” he said. “That’s what you want in a room. You want everybody to push the next man. That’s what’s gonna make us better as a group.”

LSU returns last season’s leading receiver Malik Nabers, who finished with 72 catches for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns. But other than that, the Tigers will count on new faces as well as returning players to replace the production lost this offseason.

Hilton certainly has a chance to be one of those players. He joined the Tigers in 2021 as the No. 13 receiver and No. 3 player from Louisiana according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. However, injuries over his first two years have prevented him from showing off his full potential.

Chris Hilton played just eight games over the past two seasons at LSU and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the fourth game of 2022. Now back healthy, he’ll look to prove himself among a talented crop of players.

The Tigers also return Brian Thomas Jr. and brought home former Alabama receiver and Louisiana native Aaron Anderson via the transfer portal. They also signed a trio of four-star freshmen, including two top 100 prospects in Jalen Brown and Baton Rouge native Shelton Sampson Jr. Hilton has been impressed with how quickly the young players have picked things up.

“A lot of growth with the playbook and going out there and knowing what they’ve gotta do,” he said. “I’ve seen tremendous growth in all of them throughout the whole spring.”

LSU ranked fifth in the SEC in passing offense last season and is just one of two teams from the top five to bring back their starting quarterback in Jayden Daniels. With that in mind, things are shaping up for this to be a big year for the passing game with the multitude of weapons Daniels will have at his disposal.

The spring game on Saturday should provide a better idea of who his top targets will be in 2023.