By KACE KIEISCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Lane Kiffin did not just reload the wide receiver room for his first season as LSU’s footbal coach, he went out and stacked up a completely new arsenal.
Redshirt Freshman Phillip Wright III was the only returner from the 13 wide receivers on the 2025 roster. Kiffin welcomed nine transfers and three freshmen in a philosophy that seems to believe in quantity and quality.
“Instead of being really top heavy with one and two and then not having depth, I think when we’ve been our best, it’s because we’ve had four to five to six receivers who can all play really well,” Kiffin said of his new receivers. “That’s what we’re striving for here. I think we have a chance to do that with the players that are out there, because then we’re the best for the long run of the season and potentially into the postseason.”
That is not to say the group lacks top level talent — Jayce Brown was an all-conference selection in the Big 12 out of Kansas State and Eugene “Tre” Wilson was a freshman All-SEC player at Florida. But Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. will be counting on various players from non-traditional winning programs to translate to the SEC. And what Kiffin does have is variety:
EXPLOSIVE PLAYMAKERS
Jayce Brown
Brown (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) has the most proven production in the receiver room. The senior from Kansas State was an All-Big 12 selection with 41 receptions for 712 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games last season. In two prior seasons with the Wildcats, Brown hauled in 47 passes for 873 yards and five TDs as a sophomore and recorded 27 catches for 437 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games as a true freshman, starting the final six games of the 2023 campaign.
Brown was rated as the No. 10 WR in On3.com’s transfer rankings and the No. 38 overall player. His 17.37 yards per catch last season ranked 28th in the nation, and he’ll provide big play ability with the potential to be a true WR1 in Baton Rouge.
Of his 115 career receptions at Kansas State, 34 went for 20-plus yards, and he made at least one catch in 30 of his 33 career games.
Expect the offensive staff to do whatever they can to get Brown the ball in space. His elite acceleration creates separation on intermediate and deep routes and makes him an instant threat to turn screens and slants into chunk plays.
Jackson Harris
Harris (6-2, 202) provides a unique combination of size and deep-ball proficiency. Although rarely the fastest guy on the field, the redshirt junior ranked No. 8 in the country with 19.65 yards per reception at Hawaii last season. He received All-Mountain West first-team honors after catching 49 passes for 963 yards and 12 touchdowns in 11 games.
A four-star recruit out of high school, Harris began his college career at Stanford in 2023 where he appeared in just three games and made three catches for 67 yards. He returned as a redshirt freshman in 2024 but failed to carve out a larger role in the offense after earning a starting nod week one. He finished the season again with just three catches, this time for only 19 yards and a TD.
After his 2025 breakout season, Harris entered the transfer portal as 247Sports.com’s No. 110 overall player and No. 25 wideout.
Harris took most of the first-team reps as the Tigers’ “Z” receiver over the spring. His 6-2 frame and ball skills make him a consistent possession receiver on the boundary, but it is his explosive play ability that has Kiffin and his staff really excited.
Harris was a lethal threat down the field on a Hawaii team with a fraction of the talent on the LSU roster. He will have to make the jump against SEC competition, he had just two catches for 21 yards in his lone power four matchup with Arizona last season, but if Harris can replicate his efficiency, he’ll be an X-factor for the Tigers.
Tre’ Brown III
Brown (6-2, 190) arrives as a redshirt junior from Old Dominion. He was named to the All-Sun Belt third-team after catching 38 passes for 762 yards and 4 TDs for a monstrous 20.05 yards per catch — 7th in FBS.
After redshirting as a freshman, Brown was a standout at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas. He racked up 566 yards and 10 touchdowns on 30 catches in 2024, and helped the team to an NJCAA Division I national title.
On3 listed Brown as the No. 22 receiver in the transfer portal and No. 97 overall as a four-star transfer prospect. He projects as another big deep-threat receiver on the outside of the LSU offense.
Tyree Holloway
Holloway (5-10, 174) is a Division II redshirt junior transfer addition from the University of West Florida. He caught 34 passes for 661 yards (19.44 YPC) and eight TDs and earned second-team All-Gulf South Conference honors in 2025.
Holloway missed seven games with injury and redshirted as a sophomore at West Florida. He made 4 catches for 32 yards in three games. He played in 10 games for Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina as a freshman, catching 22 passes for 476 yards and a team-best 5 touchdowns.
Holloway was 247Sports No. 200 receiver in the transfer portal. It will be an uphill battle for Holloway to see much of the field this season, but his blistering speed alone is enough to earn a glance on the back end of the rotation.
“I got two years,” Holloway told Tiger Rag in January. “So, why not just try to better yourself, come in, and learn the system and just ball out?’ I’m trying to get into that rotation and earn my job on special teams – playing my role wherever I’m playing it.”
The trio of Harris, Jayce Brown and Tre’ Brown should all see production in the 2026-27 season, likely led by Jayce Brown and Harris. They provide an explosiveness missing from an LSU offense that ranked No. 122 in the nation with 10.25 yards per completion a season ago. Look for them to stretch the field in a Kiffin-Weis passing attack that finished ninth in the country with 13.82 yards per completion last year.
“Explosive plays are a very critical factor,” Kiffin said during spring practice. “And that’s not just what you draw up, you got to have the players. To have players that have made a number of explosive plays in the receiver room was important.”
SLOT SPECIALISTS
Winston Watkins Jr.
Watkins (5-10, 182) followed his coaches to Baton Rouge from Ole Miss. The sophomore played in all 15 games for the Rebels last season and caught 26 passes for 373 yards and a touchdown.
Watkins was a four-star prospect out of high school and ranked as the No. 15 wide receiver in the 2025 class by Rivals. He caught at least one pass in 11 games last season and ranked sixth in receiving yards on a team that saw five receivers go for over 300 yards. 247Sports ranked Watkins as the No. 39 wide receiver in the transfer portal, and he was the first former Rebel to commit to LSU.
Watkins was a consistent standout as the primary slot receiver with the first-team offense during spring practice. He is a quick, shifty route runner that should only improve in year two under Kiffin and Weis.
“That really helps,” Kiffin said of Watkins’ familiarity in the spring. “Now hopefully the other guys, they’ll progress a little bit slower and catch up to that because obviously Winnie has a head start, but it is really good.”
Eugene “Tre” Wilson III
Wilson (5-11, 190) has the highest ceiling of the group, but injuries plagued the former five-star’s three years at Florida. The redshirt junior played in eight games last year and totaled 239 yards and three touchdowns on 27 catches. A high ankle sprain suffered Nov. 1 against Georgia cut his season short.
He was listed as the nation’s No. 32 overall prospect and a top five wide receiver for the 2023 class by On3 out of high school. His healthiest and most productive season as a Gator came as a freshman when he tallied 61 receptions for 538 yards and a team-best 6 TDs.
Since being named a freshman All-American and freshman All-SEC, Wilson has struggled to stay on the field long enough to replicate that success. A hip injury as a sophomore limited him to just four games.
Wilson was ranked as the No. 15 wide receiver in the transfer portal and No. 59 prospect by On3.
If Wilson can remain healthy and grow comfortable in the offense he has the potential to become a focal point in the pass game. As it stands, he will at least be featured in the regular rotation on Saturdays with the burst and agility to turn those opportunities into big plays.
Phillip Wright III
Wright (6-0, 171) is the lone returning receiver from last year’s roster. He played in just two games as a true freshman and caught one pass for two yards. The speedster was a four-star out of Destrehan High School and was listed as the No. 54 WR in the 2025 class by On3. Wright ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at the 2023 All-American Bowl Showcase and recorded a 10.46 100 meters and 21.41 200 meter dash.
If he does play a role for the Tigers this season, it may be more as another lightning quick deep threat than a true slot receiver, but he challenged for slot reps during spring practice. He will provide solid depth in the crowded room and could be a name to keep an eye on if he stays at LSU.
PHYSICAL POSSESSION TARGETS
Malik Elzy
Elzy (6-2, 214) played 23 games in three seasons at Illinois and brought in 16 targets for 213 yards and two TDs. He left the team after four games as a junior last year to redshirt and have two years of remaining eligibility. Elzy was a four-star prep recruit but never saw enough production in the Illini offense to stick around. In the portal, he was listed as the No. 149 receiver by 247Sports. Elzy is a physical pass catcher who could emerge as another depth option in the room.
Josh Jackson
Jackson (6-2, 199) is the smallest, quickest and best route runner of this group, but his usage at McNeese is not enough to classify him as a regular deep threat. The redshirt sophomore caught 20 passes for 258 yards in 12 games as a Cowboy last season after redshirting his freshman year at UAB. The St. Augustine High School product was a three-star recruit and is the son of former NFL and Saints wide receiver Willie Jackson Jr. He was 247Sports’ No. 251 WR in the portal.
Roman Mothershed
Mothershed (6-5, 208) is the largest target in the LSU receiver room. He arrives from Troy as a redshirt junior after catching 25 balls for 259 yards and a touchdown in 11 starts last year. Mothershed was listed as the No. 252 wideout in the transfer portal by 247Sports. His sheer size and basketball background make him a contested catch specialist, but outside of rare redzone or hail mary situations, don’t expect Mothershed to see much utilization.
INCOMING FRESHMEN
The WR room is rounded out by a trio of four-star freshmen. Because of the depth and experience at the position, they will have to fight for playing time. And it is unlikely if more than one of the three play much. But they are an indication of the type of talent Kiffin and Co. can attract to Baton Rouge.
Brayden Allen (6-2, 197), Lafayette Christian in Lafayette … No. 81 WR not likely to play this season because of the numbers.
Corey Barber Jr. (5-11, 188), Clay-Chalkville High in Pinson, Alabama … No. 9 WR in the nation who may play a lot.
Jabari Mack (6-0, 195), Destrehan High in New Orleans area … No. 31 WR who likely will not play much with the numbers.
Kiffin & Weis know how to adapt their scheme and play calling to the guys on the field. The last two seasons, their Ole Miss offense saw four receivers with 500 yards or more. The year before that just three guys went for 700-plus yards.
LSU may lack the individual top-end talent Tiger fans are used to seeing, but the unit will be effective as a whole. Expect one or two guys to rise to the top, but plenty of opportunity for four-plus receivers. Jayce Brown, Harris, Watkins and Wilson should lead the charge at the beginning of the season, but do not count out Tre’ Brown, Wright and Elzy to compete for time or step up if someone else goes down.
“I just want the best players,” Kiffin said in the spring. “If we happen to be starting 6-foot-3 receivers, then great. If they’re shorter, which may be the case this year, that’s fine. I just want the best players, and then we’ll coach.”
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