Transfer Breakdown: Here’s what LSU’s getting with Liberty WR CJ Daniels
LSU added to its wide receiver room over the weekend, landing a commitment from Liberty wide receiver transfer CJ Daniels.
Daniels was one of the most productive receivers in the country last year. A key part of Liberty’s highly efficient offense, he racked up over 1,000 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns coming off an injury-plagued 2023 season.
LSU’s receivers have a high standard to meet in 2024 after the show Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. put on in 2023, but the addition of Daniels should help with that as both those players are moving on.
Here are five things you should know about Daniels.
He's a big play threat
LSU led the country in 20+ yard passes in 2023 and with the addition of Daniels, the offense could be at it again next year.
Daniels ranked 11th nationally in 20+ yard receptions with 19. With 55 catches on the year, 34.5% of his catches went for at least 20 yards. Fourteen of those catches went for 20+ yards in the air, which put Daniels sixth in the FBS.
At the same time, he was the only receiver who averaged over 19 yards per play to catch 55 or more passes.
With Garrett Nussmeier at quarterback, Daniels should be able to slide in and make plays right away.
He was a three-star in high school
Daniels didn’t get a ton of major offers out of high school. He’s a product of the Atlanta area, playing his high school ball at Parkview High School in Georgia.
According to 247Sports, he was a three-star and ranked as the 338th best receiver in his class.
He drew interest from all three service academies along with North Dakota State before committing to Liberty.
He led the country in yards per route run
Daniels was the most efficient receiver in the country, averaging 3.94 yards per route.
That’s impressive given how strong of a receiving year this was. Daniels beat out the likes of Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr and Luther Burden.
There are always some questions when a guy jumps from the Group of Five to the SEC, but that level of efficiency should smooth over some of the concerns. Nearly four yards per route is elite-level production.
Has drop issues at times
There aren’t many negatives with Daniels’ profile, but there were a few drops in 2023. Among receivers with 80 or more targets, Daniels had the 23rd-highest drop rate at 9.8%.
He has the talent to make a play on the ball though, catching seven of nine contested catch attempts.
Daniels adds experience to LSU's WR room
With Nabers and Thomas off to the NFL, LSU’s losing a heavy amount of production at wide receiver.
Plenty of talent remains in Baton Rouge, but it’s unproven. The leading returning receiver is Kyren Lacy, who caught just 30 passes but had a couple of big games.
After that its Mason Taylor and Chris Hilton Jr., who combined for 573 yards last fall,
Daniels is a 1,000-yard receiver who caught 10 touchdowns last year, making him just one of 13 pass catchers to cross the 1,000-yard and double-digit touchdown mark.
He doesn’t have SEC experience, but his veteran presence will be needed.
