Zavion Thomas and Barion Brown both found paydirt during their time at LSU.
Thomas scored three special teams touchdowns in his career including one as Tiger. He led the SEC in kickoff return yards in 2024. Brown housed a kickoff in the Texas Bowl to cap last year.
Both parlayed their versatility and return skills into NFL Draft selections despite playing for a struggling offense. That leaves a blank slate for Lane Kiffin and new special teams coordinator Joe Houston to find the next crop of explosive return men. There is no shortage of candidates.
I looked back over my notes from spring practice, and I have a decent feel who the recurring return men were when we got to see some special teams work. It’s not as black and white as left guard or the starting cornerback spot, but the candidates are fairly predictable.
They’re going to be wide receivers and running backs. LSU doesn’t have the cornerback depth to put one back there as we’ve seen in the past with Derek Stingley Jr., Tyrann Matheiu and Patrick Peterson.
Some of these guys can handle both, but this is what we saw a lot of during the spring
KICKOFF RETURN
Caden Durham, Harlem Berry, Dilin Jones, Stacy Gage and Corey Barber took a lot of the reps. That group has combined for zero kickoff returns at the collegiate level. However, it’s a group that is going to handle the ball a ton this year.
I kind of like the idea of Berry handling the majority of these reps. Durham makes some sense, too. I don’t know enough about Jones’s speed to say this definitively, but I think I would rather the two incumbents because of their breakaway speed. That’s something Brown and Thomas had in spades.
I highly doubt Corey Barber will get this nod as a true freshman although he is very explosive.
LSU only returned 23 kickoffs last year. That’s under two per game. The touchback still reigns in college where the NFL has ushered the return back in.
Kiffin is going to trust his offense, so I think he’ll probably prioritize ball security here over playmaking. My guess is that one of the veteran tailbacks will get the bulk of these duties.
Ultimately, I think Durham is the guy.
PUNT RETURN
This is a bigger deal than kickoff return.
Punt returners have to know where they are on the field, how close the gunners are and most importantly have to make the catch cleanly.
Muffed punts are a great way to lose games, and they happen a lot more often than big returns.
In the spring, this group handled a lot of the punt returns:
That’s not to say no one else ever caught a punt. It’s the group I saw most often.
First, Wilson very noticeably muffed three punts when I was watching. It wasn’t a one-day thing. Aside from that, which is literally the most important aspect, Wilson is an ideal candidate. He’s noticeably the quickest of the Tiger wide outs. In space, he’s a nightmare. But those drops are a bad sign.
Watkins is also a dynamic playmaker. He did not field a punt for Ole Miss last year. Brown didn’t return any punts for Kansas State. Jones didn’t return any punts for Wisconsin.
Holloway is an interesting prospect because he’s shifty and fast but likely down the line in the receiver order. He could be a guy who specializes in that role as long as he can catch the football.
I think Jabari Mack has a ton of potential, but there’s no way a Lane Kiffin offense is going to send a freshman back there considering the confidence the staff will have in moving the ball.
Brown and Watkins are the most likely candidates here. Watkins is twitchier. Brown is smoother.
My pick: Watkins.
I think the former Rebel features trusted hands and can break big plays.
