By Hunt Palmer
Efficiency wasn’t a problem for the LSU passing game last season.
Explosiveness was.
LSU’s passing attack produced over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns a season ago. The Tigers led the SEC and finished sixth in the country in third down conversion percentage. The ball just usually moved six to 12 yards at a time.
Only twice did LSU produce a passing gain of 50 yards or more. That was worst in the SEC, and only eight teams nationally had fewer.
“We struggled a little bit when you kind of latched on and played deep coverage, soft coverage in front of us,” said LSU head coach Brian Kelly. “We didn’t have anybody that could break through and run by people. We’ve got people who can run by you now.”
Chris Hilton plays that part brilliantly.
The speedster from Zachary just hasn’t been able to showcase that gear much due to nagging injuries that have plagued his four years at LSU.
Hilton has only played in 25 games over four seasons as a Tiger. Last year he was limited to six with just one start after a foot injury from training camp lingered into November.
When he returned, he hauled in three touchdown passes of over 40 yards in an offense starving for that production.
“If you look at all the healthy games Chris has played, my first start in the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2023 or, I guess, 2024, and then you look at the last three games the last season, even the bowl game this year, Chris was able to make plays vertically every single time,” said senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
Hilton arrived at LSU in the same class as current NFL stars Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. As they rewrote the LSU record books together en route to huge NFL paydays, Hilton spent more time rehabbing that route running.
Still, he never transferred.
“In this day and age, it’s easy for anybody to say, ‘oh, this isn’t working well for me. Let me go transfer to another school.’” Hilton said. “(Nussmeier and I) didn’t have that mindset. I know me, personally, I wasn’t leaving my home state. That’s where I’m from, and that’s where I wanted to play. That was the deciding factor to me.”
So, Hilton returned for one more run at LSU. He’s surrounded by a group of uber-talented wideouts fighting for on-field time and targets.
Aaron Anderson is the returning leader in catches and yards. Nic Anderson set freshman records at Oklahoma two years ago. Barion Brown was Kentucky’s most electrifying playmaker over the last two seasons. Kyle Parker and Zavion Thomas made big plays last year.
It’s crowded.
“We’re one big family,” Hilton said. “A lot of jokes being cracked. A lot of dances. You would think it would cause problems, but everyone’s going to eat. That’s the reality of the situation. You can’t just put your focus on just one person as a defense. If you focus on one person, you’re leaving two others. If you somehow guard two people, you’ve still got to worry about a third.”
If this LSU team is going to accomplish its goal of competing for championship, the passing game very likely will be the catalyst for the run.
Last year’s version without a downfield threat didn’t produce enough at Texas A&M, against Alabama or at Florida.
Hilton is anxious to show he was the missing link last year.
“Man, I can’t wait,” Hilton said. “We’ve just been working out, lifting weights, running. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m ready for fall camp. Everybody hates fall camp. I’m ready.”
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