CJ Daniels, Chris Hilton injury update: Brian Kelly reveals latest on availability of LSU receivers

LSU is poised to get at least, and perhaps two key playmakers back this weekend to play Arkansas, head coach Brian Kelly said on Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference.

Wideout CJ Daniels, who missed Saturday’s win over Ole Miss, is looking good to play and will likely be “probable” on the initial Wednesday injury report, Kelly said. Chris Hilton, who has been out for most of the season, is more touch and go, but headed in the right direction.

“Daniels practiced and looked good so I would say we’ll probably list him as probable for Saturday,” Kelly said. “Chris was able to do some individual work. His is a day-to-day situation so so he’s still questionable. We’re trending in the right direction there. The rest are pretty static in terms of where we are from an injury standpoint.”

Daniels missed Saturday’s game after re-aggravating a previously injured knee, but it didn’t end up being a serious issue. Daniels, in his first year at LSU after transferring in, has 20 catches through five games for 239 yards and has yet to find the end zone.

“He aggravated a knee, an old knee injury,” Kelly said of Daniels during LSU’s bye. “But we got good reports on it. Obviously, we were concerned because he had an ACL. It was not an ACL but those are things, at first, you’re concerned. But it turned out to be the best-case scenario for us.”

Hilton has appeared in one game this season but didn’t record a catch as he’s been working back from a bone bruise that’s evidently led to a tricky rehab and recovery.

A week ago, Kelly went to bat for Hilton and his efforts to get back on the field for the Tigers in 2024.

“And let’s get the record straight, just so everybody knows: Chris has done everything to get back as quickly as possible,” Kelly said. “This has been an injury that we’ve done scans and we’ve done MRIs and the healing has just been slow. If he had the proper healing and was ready to go, he’s put in the time and has the want to to want to be out there. So I want to be clear that everyone should understand that Chris, if he’s able to be out there, he would be out there. It’s just, this has been one of those unusual injuries that has taken so much longer to heal than normal.”