Brian Kelly shares importance of Malik Nabers breaking LSU's all-time receiving record

The 2023 college football season was loaded with talent at the wide receiver position, with LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers not only establishing himself as one of the nation’s top wideouts, but one of the best in program history.

Nabers became LSU’s all-time receiving yards leader during the Tigers’ ReliaQuest Bowl matchup against Wisconsin, with his 3,003 career yards eclipsing Josh Reed‘s previous school record set in 2001. Nabers has stamped his name in the program’s record book and the school’s history through his play this season, and following their bowl win, LSU head coach Brian Kelly gave some high praise to his star wideout.

“First of all, here’s a guy that — I’m not up here to evaluate the receiving corps going to the NFL, but I think he’s the best receiver in the country,” Kelly said.

The title of best receiver in the country seemed like a three-horse race between Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze, who were the three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to college football’s most outstanding honor.

Harrison Jr. took home this year’s Biletnikoff Award, but a case could still be made for Nabers being the nation’s top wide receiver, with him ending the season with more receptions and receiving yards than Harrison and just as many touchdown catches.

Nabers ended the regular season with 86 receptions, 1,546 yards, and 14 touchdown grabs, placing him just 21 yards shy of LSU’s all-time receiving-yards record. And in an era where many of college football’s top future NFL Draft picks forgo their bowl games, Nabers decided to play in his final game for the Tigers for all the right reasons.

“Plays in this game and he wanted to do it for his teammates, he wanted to do it for LSU, and he wanted to do it because he wanted to break the record,” Kelly said. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, I think that’s awesome.”

Nabers got to 21 yards with ease, recording three catches for 23 yards against the Badgers within the first quarter of the bowl game, which would mark the end of his day taking the field for the Tigers.

“And once he got the record I told him that’s it, you’re done. You’ve done everything and more than we’ve asked you to do. So he fought me a little on it and it was an easy decision,” Kelly explained.

Malik Nabers is projected to be one of the top picks at his position in the 2024 NFL Draft, with a bright and exciting future ahead of him at the next level. But when it comes to the past, he’s cemented himself as one of LSU’s best, which holds plenty of weight given the rich history and tradition of a program that’s been playing football for over a century.