2020 LSU Football Position Breakdown Part 3: Wide Receivers
For all of the players and coaches lost in the week after the Tigers captured their fourth national championship, there was one position where everyone knew LSU would be stocked full of returning talent.
While the loss of Justin Jefferson is no easy replacement, the Tigers return every starting wide receiver from last year's team, including some young, fresh talent that make this 2020 LSU receiver corps probably the best in college football. Over the next week we'll be breaking down each position group as LSU starts preparing to defend its championship crown.
Projected Starters: Ja'Marr Chase (junior), Terrace Marshall (junior), Trey Palmer (sophomore)
It takes all of two seconds to know two of the 2020 starters for the Tigers as they both set the school record for touchdowns in a single season in 2019.
As a sophomore, Ja'Marr Chase had one of the more decorated receiving seasons in college history, catching 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns, the latter two led the country. For his phenomenal season, Chase was named a Unanimous All-American and became the second Tiger (Josh Reed) to win the Biletnikoff Award.
Despite missing three games to a foot fracture in 2019, Marshall also had a tremendous championship season. In fact, through the first three weeks, it was Marshall that looked like he was going to have the better season. In total, Marshall had 46 receptions for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Marshall is due for an even bigger 2020 season as he was the primary red zone threat for the Tigers when healthy and figures to carry that same role into next season with presumably Myles Brennan behind center.
It's Jefferson's slot receiver role that becomes intriguing because of the myriad of possible options LSU could turn too. Right now the most exciting possibility is if sophomore Trey Palmer can make a year two jump with his game. His speed and explosiveness in the slot would wreck havoc on opposing defenses, making for both a vertical and intermediate threat in the passing game.
What made Jefferson so great in the slot is very much like Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, his precise route running and rock solid hands. Jefferson broke the school record for receptions (111) in 2019 while adding 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns to his resume.
That kind of production is nearly impossible to replace with just one player and at the moment there is no clear cut starter on the inside like the obvious answer with Chase and Marshall on the outside. Palmer is a 6-foot-1 speedster that only caught one pass in 2019 but did return a punt 54 yards for a touchdown in the Tigers 65-14 win over Northwestern State.
His big play ability makes him a natural for the slot if he can prove it to the coaching staff starting in Spring camp.
A look at the depth chart: Racey McMath (senior), Kayshon Boutte (freshman), Jontre Kirklin (senior), Koy Moore (freshman)
Not only will LSU have a star studded starting receiving corps, but its depth will be nothing to sniff at either. Go no further then freshman receiver Kayshon Boutte, whose senior season play combined with his All-American practice performances skyrocketed him as a five-star recruit on 247sports.
Boutte is a 6-foot-0, 180 pound New Iberia native that could come in and contribute to LSU right away, because of his ability to play inside and out. While it's unlikely he steals any reps from Chase or Marshall on the outside, it's certainly plausible that he gets some snaps in the slot if he proves to be the dynamic receiver LSU is expecting right out of the gate.
Boutte is joined in the 2020 class by four-star freshman Koy Moore, a Rummel receiver with great hands and leaping ability to catch in traffic. You also can't forget about senior speedsters Jontre Kirklin and Racey McMath.
Kirklin doesn't have nearly as much playing experience, with just three catches for 80 yards in his Tiger career, but McMath had a decent 2019 campaign with 17 receptions for 285 yards and three scores during the national championship run.
The bottom of the receiver depth chart will be sorted out in time but there is little doubt this is the most talented and experienced position group for LSU in 2020. If LSU can find a comparable replacement for Jefferson in the slot, the Tiger offense may not be taking as big a step back as many believe after all of the departures.
