Brian Kelly details the growth Malik Nabers has shown throughout the season

Malik Nabers proved himself as one of the top underclassman wide receivers in the country with his 1,000-yard sophomore campaign at LSU. His successes were on full display in front of head coach Brian Kelly all season long, and Nabers’ stellar Citrus Bowl performance against Purdue reiterated how much the wideout has improved in such a short amount of time.

“I think he’s maturing,” Kelly said of Nabers postgame. “I think we have gone through understanding how to be in the right zone emotionally to his preparation in practice, where he’s preparing harder than anybody else, to flipping the switch to performance.

“Look, he mentioned one of the drops. He drops the ball, but he comes back the very next play and makes a spectacular play. His ability to focus and refocus, that’s the maturity that you see from Malik in terms of how he’s grown in this past year, and I’m really proud of him.”

Nabers efforts earned him the title of Citrus Bowl MVP for his efforts on offense. His nine receptions went for 163 yards and a touchdown – he also had two completions and a passing touchdown. At that point, any dropped ball is irrelevant.

After the game, Nabers said on the postgame broadcast that he couldn’t say enough great things about his head coach, saying he’s helped the team create winning habits that will help build the team toward greater heights.

The scoring was well distributed throughout LSU’s offense against the Boilermakers. Nabers was one of four wide receivers to catch a touchdown pass during the Citrus Bowl. Three different players also threw touchdown passes – including Nabers – while three more scored on the ground. In total, LSU’s eight touchdowns smothered Purdue early and the Tigers never let their foot off the gas.

Nabers will head into his junior year as one of the SEC’s brightest stars. He’ll look to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second-straight season heading into what could potentially be his last in Baton Rouge. With the NFL a legitimate possibility for Nabers after his junior campaign, he’ll be wanting to make the most of it.