BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Kyren Lacy is probably the most skilled receiver on LSU’s No. 13 roster.

His 826 yards receiving in two seasons with the Tigers, after transferring from Louisiana-Lafayette, are just over half of what Malik Nabers, LSU’s all-time leading receiver, had last season alone.

“The whole offense is different,” Lacy said. “We have a new identity.”

Lacy is the only returning starter from a 2023 LSU passing game that was led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels (3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns), a all of America selection in Nabers (1,569 yards, 14 TDs) and receiver Brian Thomas (1,177 yards, 17 TDs).

Garrett Nussmeier is now the starting QB as LSU plays its 2024 season opener against 23rd-seeded Southern California on Sunday in Las Vegas.

The Tigers’ starting three receivers were expected to consist of Lacy, Chris Hilton and Liberty transfer CJ Daniels.

However, Hilton is trying to recover from an undisclosed bone bruise that left him questionable this week, LSU coach Brian Kelly said.

“I know he wants to play,” Kelly said Wednesday. “I know he’s working toward playing Sunday and we’ll just see how the week goes.”

Hilton is a fourth-year player who had 225 yards and two TDs last season. He, like Lacy, is looking for a big spike in production now that they’ve moved up the LSU depth chart at their position. C.J. Daniels, meanwhile, will be eager to see how his production with Liberty last season — 1,067 yards and 10 TDs — translates in the SEC.

If Hilton can’t play, sophomore Tiger Kyle Parker, who has never made a catch in his career, would take his place, Kelly said.

“He’s had a great camp,” Kelly said. “We really feel good about what he can do for us. All of these guys that we’re recruiting to LSU are going to have the skills that it takes to play in the SEC. It’s really about that consistent level of performance, play in and play out, practice in and practice out, that gives us the confidence and the assurance that when it’s time to perform, we’re going to have that. That’s what Kyle has shown us.”

Nussmeier doesn’t mince his words when he touts the talents of LSU’s current receivers team, which also includes Zavion Thomas and Aaron Anderson. Both players could see additional playing time if Hilton is unable to play.

“They’re all very talented,” Nussmeier said. “They’re all going to do very special things.”

Unlike Jayden Daniels, who also led LSU in rushing last season, Nussmeier is more of a traditional pocket passer. He waited three years to become a starter and has been Daniels’ backup the past two.

But he does have a background; his father is former NFL player and current Philadelphia Eagles QB coach Doug Nussmeier.

“Just him being able to give feedback and bounce different ideas off of each other is unreal,” said the younger Nussmeier, who noted that he talks to his father nearly every day. “He helps me through some of the things I was struggling with that day and things like that.”

Nussmeier has also shown potential. At the end of last season, Nussmeier started the ReliaQuest Bowl, throwing for 395 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers win 35-31 above Wisconsin.

This season, he’ll play behind an experienced offensive line that’s expected to be among the nation’s best in both the running and passing game, giving the Tigers a balance that can make life a lot easier for a QB.

And when Nussmeier throws, he doesn’t necessarily have to look downfield. It became clear during training camp in August that this LSU offense will get its share of quick screens, too.

“We try to get the ball to the quicker guys quickly,” said Lacy, who had 558 yards receiving last season. “You’ve got a lot of different guys that can do different things.”

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