LSU freshman Brian Thomas praised by Max Johnson

LSU freshman wide receiver Brian Thomas received praise from his quarterback in player interviews held Monday. Max Johnson is excited at his potential.

Max Johnson on Brian Thomas

A large focus of LSU’s offseason has been the addition of wide receiver Brian Thomas as an incoming freshman. Thomas entered the program as a four-star recruit and was ranked 108th among all recruits for the 2021 class by On3 Sports.

Quarterback Max Johnson fielded questions about his development during player interviews held Monday.

“Brian has made a lot of plays. He’s caught of lot of go balls, a lot of slants, a lot of out routes,” he said. “He’s done a great job getting off of the jam. All of the freshman receivers… are making a lot of plays right now, it’s been a lot of fun.”

Johnson went on to note that a big focus of practices as they prepare for the season is to have their veteran players teach the incoming freshman.

“They’re leading really well. I think they’re leading the young guys really well,” Johnson said of the team’s veteran receivers. “I think it’s just coming together and becoming as tight as we can be. They’ve done a great job of boosting the young guys, encouraging them. And they’ve done a great job of running their routes and getting open and competing every day.”

LSU freshman Brian Thomas

As Jonathan Wagner of On3 Sports detailed, Thomas has the potential to be one of the greatest receivers in the history of the Tigers.

Thomas comes in this season poised to play a major role early on. Thomas is an exceptional athlete who played football and basketball in high school. As a senior, Thomas caught 30 passes for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2019 as a junior, Thomas caught 75 passes for 1,272 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also played a key role in basketball, as he was a second-team 5A All-State selection as a junior. In three seasons on the court, Thomas scored more than 1,000 points.

Thomas stands at six-foot-five and 198 pounds. His quickness and athletic ability make him a dangerous weapon on LSU’s offense. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron believes that Thomas is good enough to become one of the best football players to come through LSU.

“Brian Thomas is a big receiver with good moves,” Orgeron said. “Big, strong hands. He’s hard to cover one on one, especially in the red zone. He’ll go up and get it. And he’s good with yards after the catch with the football. I think he’s going to be one of the great receivers that we’ve had here at LSU.”

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