Clemson Secondary Faces Tough Test from Explosive LSU Receiving Corps
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When LSU and Clemson square off in the Upstate's version of Death Valley on Aug. 30 to open the 2025 season, eyes will be on senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and a reloaded, lightning-fast wide receiver corps that could stretch Clemson's secondary.
Coming off a breakout 2024 season in which he passed for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns, Nussmeier enters 2025 as one of college football’s premier quarterbacks. But the Bayou Bengals will be without two of their top weapons from last year — Kyren Lacy, who tragically passed away in April, led the team with nine touchdowns, and CJ Daniels, who transferred to Miami, finished fourth in both receptions (42) and receiving yards (480).
Returning Firepower
Still, LSU’s cupboard is far from bare. In fact, it may be overflowing with more raw speed and athleticism than ever.
Leading the charge is junior Aaron Anderson (5'8, 188), who caught 61 passes for 884 yards and five touchdowns in 2024 and capped the year with a standout performance in LSU’s 44-31 win over Baylor in the Kinder's Texas Bowl — pulling in eight catches for 100 yards. Anderson, a menace in the open field, owns a 100-meter personal best of 10.77 seconds and will be a major challenge for the defense to corral in space.
Then there’s Chris Hilton Jr. (6'0, 190), who despite being limited to just four games last year due to an ankle injury, flashed big-play potential with nine catches for 243 yards and three scores. That included a dynamic 113-yard, two-touchdown outing in the Texas Bowl. Hilton is an elite leaper (7-foot high jumper) and clocked at 4.45 in the 40-yard dash.
Zavion Thomas (5'10, 191) also returns after contributing 23 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Four years ago, he ran a 4.32 40 at LSU’s camp and flashed that speed on his 95-yard kickoff return touchdown in the Texas Bowl.
Kyle Parker (5'11, 197) and redshirt freshmen Kylan Billiot (6-3, 190) and Jelani Watkins (5'9, 163) — the latter boasting Olympic-caliber speed (10.01, 10.02, and 10.10 100-meter times) — add further depth to the rotation. Parker brings track speed of his own, with a 10.89 100m mark from his days at Lovejoy (TX) High School.
Portal Additions
LSU didn’t just reload — it restocked with fury via the transfer portal.
The biggest splash may be Nic Anderson, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound deep threat from Oklahoma. Though he only played a few snaps in 2024 due to a quad injury, his 2023 campaign saw him haul in 10 touchdowns and average an eye-popping 23.4 yards per catch (38 receptions, 798 yards). He brings size that LSU’s receiver room lacked a year ago.
Also joining are former SEC East standout Barion Brown (Kentucky) and former Florida State Seminole Destyn Hill. Brown torched Clemson for 226 all-purpose yards in the 2023 Gator Bowl, scoring on a catch, a run, and a kickoff return. The 6-foot-1 burner ran a 10.49 100 in high school and is lethal in space.
Hill, meanwhile, missed 2024 with an ACL injury but previously faced Clemson while at FSU in 2023. Fully recovered, the 6-foot, 194-pound Hill brings verified 4.32 40-yard dash speed (clocked at the All-American Bowl Combine).
Freshman signees Phillip Wright III (10.34/20.65 in the 100m/200m) and Taron Francis (10.89 in high school) round out the explosive group.
The Clemson secondary, led by All-ACC cornerback Avieon Terrell, held its own against Texas’s passing offense last December in a College Football Playoff loss, limiting the Longhorns’ explosive plays despite falling 38–24. Still, the Tigers' secondary ranked 53rd nationally in pass defense last season (213 ypg), and it now faces what could be the fastest receiving corps in the country.