Kyren Lacy unlocks elite potential at LSU this offseason

Sure, Kyren Lacy had 558 yards and seven touchdown grabs on 30 receptions at LSU in 2023, but the moments that will help him going into 2024 weren’t plays he made, but the work he watched Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas put in. The two star wideouts turned themselves into first round draft picks with the seasons they had in 2023, helping fuel the No. 1 offense in America, and it came through consistency.

“Seeing those guys come to practice every single day was a blessing,” Lacy said. “Those guys are my brothers, so everything they were doing, I was behind them just watching on and off the field. It’s going to be a big task to take over but I’m ready for it.”

Lacy’s game took steps forward in the process. His hands got better, greatly reducing the number of drops, his route-running became more crisp, and his overall attention to detail raised. The talent had always been obvious when watching Lacy maneuver through defenses and create separation repeatedly, but it was the intangibles that needed work when he made the jump from Louisiana-Lafayette to LSU.

Now, Lacy puts the finishing touches on a spring camp where he has stepped up and stepped into the spotlight at LSU’s new WR1.

“He was easily distracted at times (before),” Kelly said. “What has happened here more than anything else is he has found the right zone to be in as it relates to practicing and preparation. I think he learned a lot last year watching Malik and Brian Thomas and the way they came to practice every day and how they performed. He’s going to have a breakout season because of it. I can see the way he takes over a practice now in terms of his ability.”

Practice after practice, it was Lacy who had the highlight catches this year. After a couple months of uncertainty as to who the Tiger’s new top receiver would be, Lacy has been the answer.

He wasn’t sure he would reach this point after a shaky first season at LSU was followed up by a rough start in 2023, but as the first chapter of 2024 comes to a close, Lacy can now reflect on the steps he’s taken to grow as a player.

“Just having to lock in more in meetings,” Lacy said. “I had a couple dropped balls and everybody knows that, but you can’t just sit there and feel sorry for yourself. You have to come in every day and work hard. After week four I felt myself going down and then Malik and all of them started lifting me up and telling me what to do on and off the field. I trusted those guys and it got me here.”

With Jayden Daniels gone as well, LSU fans now have to get to know a new starting quarterback, but for Lacy, the transition will be easy. Practices running with the second team offense have the two ready for their moment. Nussmeier and Lacy have spent the past two seasons getting ready for their time to shine and now, 2024 is setting up to be their year.

“It goes way back to when I first got here and now he’s ready,” Lacy said of Nussmeier. “He’s ready to take that next step. We come in everyday looking to get better, whether it’s watching film or doing anything we can to get on the same page.

“It’s not really pressure because the eyes are on LSU football, so it wouldn’t be just on me because we have a lot of guys on the offensive and defensive units. We just come in every day to get better.”