Since the end of the regular season, LSU has added receivers Zavion Thomas and CJ Daniels to strengthen an inexperienced wide receiver core.
Mississippi State sophomore, Zavion Thomas, announced he’d be transferring to LSU on Dec. 15. Around a month later, on Jan. 13, Liberty junior, CJ Daniels, announced he’d be joining Thomas at LSU. With Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. recently declaring for the draft, the portal additions fill a need for LSU.
Prior to the transfers, LSU’s only wideouts with a catch this season were Kyren Lacy, Chris Hilton and Aaron Anderson. The three combined for 842 receiving yards in 2023, which is 225 less than Daniels had singlehandedly at Liberty last season. 
Daniels missed much of 2022 to injury before exploding onto the scene in 2023. The 6-foot-2-inch receiver finished the year with 55 receptions for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns. Daniels was one of 11 players nationally to have at least 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, Nabers and Thomas also among them.
Daniels shined Oct. 5 against Sam Houston State with five receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown. On New Year’s Day, he proved more than capable against top talent, finishing with eight receptions for 79 yards against Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
The incoming senior has impressive speed that can take the top off the defense. He’s also able to use his size to dominate contested catches. Daniels led all of college football with 3.94 yards per route run against man defense. A potential concern for Daniels is his drops, finishing with a drop rate of 9.8%.
Thomas finished 2023 with 40 receptions for 503 yards and a touchdown. His best game came in October, where Thomas put up nine receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown against Auburn.
Thomas also has experience in the run game, though not as much as his relative and Hall of Famer, Walter Payton. 
The former four-star out of Woodmere, Louisiana, is even more proven on special teams. Thomas was named FWAA 2022 Freshman All-American as a punt returner, finishing fifth nationally with a 13.5-yard return average. In 2022, he averaged 11.6 yards per return. 
Thomas had a 63-yard punt return touchdown against Georgia in November of 2022. Almost exactly a year later, he returned a kickoff 94 yards to the house against Texas A&M. His playmaking ability on special teams will prove beneficial to an LSU squad that ranked 83^rd in kickoff return average last season.
Both with two years remaining of eligibility, Thomas’ hands and Daniels’ contested catch ability should prove both exciting and productive for LSU in 2024.