2021 Receiver Chris Hilton Commits to LSU Football, Third Receiver to Join Class
LSU continued its strong week on the recruiting trail, landing its third commitment in a week. After landing Michigan offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger on June 24 and following it up with a commitment from defensive end Naquan Brown on June 30, the Tigers landed Zachary receiver Chris Hilton early Friday morning to round out the week.
Hilton becomes the third receiver to commit to the Tigers in the 2021 class, joining top-100 prospects JoJo Earle out of Texas and Deion Smith out of Mississippi. The Zachary High School product becomes the 14th commit overall in the class and the third from the state of Louisiana.
Standing at 6-foot-0, Hilton's blazing 4.45 40-yard dash speed jumps off the screen as he provides another explosive weapon to the Tigers’ class. Both Earle and Smith are also known as speedy, explosive receivers. Currently ranked as the No. 8 receiver and No. 65 overall on 247Sports composite rankings, Hilton has been a high priority player for the Tigers.
LSU is set to lose Ja'Marr Chase, Terrace Marshall and Racey McMath after this season so it was expected the 2021 class would lean heavily on the receiver position. The Tigers currently have underclassmen Trey Palmer, Kayshon Boutte and Koy Moore on the roster.
The addition of Hilton, Earle and Smith solidifies the future of the position moving forward as the program is still hoping to add one or two more receivers to the group. Walker's Brian Thomas Jr. is the other big time wideout from Louisiana that LSU would love to get its hands on though Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M are all pushing for his services.
Hilton visited LSU back in March for Junior Day right before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down but told LSUCountry back in April, it was a worthwhile experience.
"We basically toured the campus, talked about the academics, did a little player panel and met with coach Orgeron, Mickey Joseph and Steve Ensminger," Hilton said. "I talk to coach O pretty often, we have a pretty strong relationship. They all really like my ability to go up for jump balls and my speed."
Being just down the road from Tiger Stadium, Hilton said it was hard not to watch how successful the LSU offense was in 2019 and said, as a receiver, the way it the offense was able to involve a myriad of playmakers was eye opening.
"With the new offense they put in, there's a ton of opportunity because they pass a lot," Hilton said. "As a receiver, that catches my eye. "Playing in front of that home crowd would be one of the best feelings because you know you have people supporting you."
