The Clemson Player LSU Can't Afford to Lose Track of Saturday

The LSU Tigers will finally be able to put all of the offseason and off-the-field chatter to the side as the Tigers get back on the field to begin the 2026 season, which is filled with plenty of excitement and expectations.

The Tigers will start their first year under head coach Lane Kiffin, taking on a different kind of Tiger, facing the Clemson Tigers in a major non-conference battle under the lights of Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge this Saturday.

And while Clemson looks to recover from what was a down year to the standards head coach Dabo Swinney has had the program playing before ending the 2025 season with a 7-6 record, Clemson has one offensive player who LSU's defense will have to gameplan against.

All Eyes Will Have to be on Clemson Wide Receiver Bryant Wesco Jr.

Clemson Tigers wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. (12) runs with the ball during the first half against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tigers in Orange will trot first-year starting senior quarterback Christopher Vizzina, who is set to take over Swinney's offense for longtime starter Cade Klubnik.

However, while Vizzina will head into just his second-ever career start on Saturday, he will do it with an elite offensive weapon in junior wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr., who has been extremely productive in his first two seasons at Clemson.

A former five-star prospect and freshman All-American out of Midlothian, Texas, Wesco Jr. has lived up to the hype of a five-star rating in his first two seasons of college football, recording 72 receptions for 1,245 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The wide receiver has also become the fourth player in Clemson history to record 1,000 receiving yards in the first 15 games of a career and was on pace for an all-conference-caliber season, totaling 31 passes for 537 yards with a team-high six receiving touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury in the seventh game of the 2025 season.

Wesco Jr. has the prototypical build of an X-wide receiver standing at six-foot-two, 195 pounds, and his skillset of being able to high point the football makes him an imminent down-the-field threat, which the LSU secondary will have to account for.

Bryant Wesco went and got it 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/JxAgbRHVWs
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) August 15, 2026

Not only is Wesco Jr. a wide receiver who can climb the ladder for the football, but the junior is also a threat with the ball in his hands as an explosive player in the open field.

In his career, Wesco Jr. has been able to stretch the field with 17.3 yards per reception during his two seasons with the Tigers. While the LSU defense will have to watch the wide receiver on deep routes, he can also impact the game in the short and intermediate game as a dynamic player in space.

Bryant Wesco Jr. finds daylight and takes it 73 yards to the end zone 🔥 pic.twitter.com/W2CHF5DUPk
— ESPN (@espn) September 13, 2025

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker will have his hands full when conjuring up a game plan against Wesco Jr with the wide receiver's elite traits that can impact a game in many ways. And for LSU to have success against the Clemson offense, containing Wesco Jr. will have to be priority No. 1.

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