Wide receiver CJ Daniels, who is spending his freshman year at LSU, has been named to the Biletnikoff Award nominee list, the Tallahassee Quarterback Club announced Wednesday.
Daniels, a transfer from Liberty University, is one of 50 players on the waiting list for the award, which is given to the best receiver in college football. Any player, regardless of position, who catches a pass is eligible to receive the award.
Last year, LSU All-America Malik Nabers finished second for the award, missing the trophy by a single vote. Previous LSU winners of the Biletnikoff Award include Josh Reed in 2001 and Ja’Marr Chase in 2019.
Daniels joined the Tigers last spring after catching 106 passes for 1,954 yards and 21 touchdowns in four seasons at Liberty. In 2023, Daniels was selected to the All-Conference USA second team after catching 55 passes for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns in one season.
In 2023, he finished second in Conference USA in receiving yards and TDs and fifth in the league in receptions.
Daniels has seven 100-yard games in his career, with five more to come in 2023. He set a career-high with eight catches against Oregon in last year’s Fiesta Bowl, and he set a career-high with 157 catches in the win over New Mexico State in the 2023 Conference USA Championship Game.
LSU masters fall camp with ease:
LSU continued to make progress in the acclimation phase of training camp as the 12th-ranked Tigers held their fifth preseason practice here Tuesday at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
During Tuesday’s practice, the Tigers focused on second-down situations, including second-and-short and second-and-long. LSU will practice in full gear for the first time on Wednesday, when the Tigers conduct their first down-and-distance practice, which will focus on moving the chains and red zone situations.
“It’s been a natural progression over the first six (days of camp),” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said after Tuesday’s morning practice. “We want to be very cautious as we acclimate our football team.”
“We were out for about an hour and five minutes today and got a lot of competition training in that time. I think our team is on track to get there – tomorrow we’ll be out for an hour and 15 minutes, then we’ll get to an hour and 30 (minutes) and next week we’ll be pretty close to doing basically a full workout outdoors at the competition level that I’m aiming for.”
Kelly said the new recovery center in the football building has helped a lot in helping players get back on their feet after practice.
“I like the steps we’re taking and I like the way we’re approaching them. The guys are recovering great. We’re utilizing our new recovery center and it’s been very effective for us in getting the guys back stronger the next day.”
The Tigers use Thursday as a rest day and then finish the second week of camp with training sessions on Friday and Saturday.
LSU opens its season on Sunday, September 1, against 23rd-ranked USC in Las Vegas.
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