What should LSU football fans expect from transfer receivers Barion Brown and Nic Anderson
LSU football signed two of the top transfer portal receivers available this cycle with the addition of former Kentucky WR Barion Brown and former Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson.

According to On3, Anderson is the No. 6 ranked transfer WR, with Brown not far behind at No. 7. Both bring proven SEC experience to an LSU receiving unit that’s losing a chunk of production from 2024. The Tigers return Aaron Anderson, but Kyren Lacy, CJ Daniels, and Mason Taylor have all moved on.

With Brown, LSU is getting a player with 123 career catches and 1,531 yards. He’s a veteran and was a significant contributor in the UK offense for three years.

Anderson is less seasoned, but he was one of the Big 12’s top pass catchers in 2023. He hauled in 38 catches for 792 yards and 10 scores. He was hurt for most of 2024 and didn’t record a catch, but LSU is betting on what it saw in 2023.

Today, we’ll look at what exactly Tiger fans should expect from these two in 2024.

Nic Anderson

Anderson signed with Oklahoma in 2022. Per the On3 Industry Rankings, he was the No. 34 ranked receiver and No. 200 overall recruit in the class. On3’s own rankings had Anderson in the top 100.

He’s nearly 6’4′, but he doesn’t move like it. Anderson has good straight-line speed for his size. This is a lofty comparison, but Anderson is reminiscent of a raw Brian Thomas Jr.

Both have length and speed but aren’t necessarily shifty in space. The route running can be cleaned up, but both players know how to use the threat of their speed to snap off and create separation at the top of routes. Anderson’s 2023 route tree doesn’t look that different than the one we saw Thomas run in 2022.

Of course, by the time Thomas was Anderson’s age, he was one of the top receivers in the sport and on his way to the NFL, but an injury prevented us from getting a real look at Anderson in 2024.

If we’re being wildly optimistic, then Anderson’s absolute ceiling is Thomas’ 2023 season. But again, those are unfair expectations to place on a transfer that hasn’t caught a pass since 2023.