CJ Daniels is expected to return to LSU next season

The former Liberty wideout burst onto the scene in 2023, catching 55 passes for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a hot commodity, but the Lilburn, Ga. native decided to make the move to Baton Rouge to catch balls from Garrett Nussmeier.

From the spring to fall, we watched Daniels become more and more comfortable in the offense, and by the time the end of fall camp rolled around, he was steadily practicing with the first-team and making plays.

After a season opener where he saw three receptions for 19 yards, Daniels totaled 4+ receptions and 50+ yards in four of his next five games. The Tigers offense enjoyed a strong start to the season with him as a viable pass catcher, but when the Tigers traveled to College Station, things changed.

Daniels exited the game at the start of the third quarter due to an ankle injury and missed the rest of the game. I'm not pretending that the only reason LSU's offense suffered the rest of the game is because he went out, but it certainly didn't help.

Since the A&M game, Daniels hasn't really been the same. He came back the next week against Alabama, but you could tell he wasn't 100%, and that showed up in the stat sheet when he posted just 26 yards. He followed that up with another lackluster 32-yard performance against Florida.

Despite battling through an injury, Daniels had a strong performance in the Tigers win against Vanderbilt. The stat sheet says he had four catches for 56 yards, but all those catches came in big moments.

In the second quarter, LSU and Vanderbilt were tied at seven with just over four minutes left on the clock. The Tigers had the ball, but faced a 3rd-and-6 early in the drive. Nussmeier dropped back to pass and found Daniels for a nine-yard gain. Later in the drive, LSU once again faced a third down, but a 14-yard completion to Daniels kept the drive - one that eventually scored a touchdown - alive.

Before the Tigers first drive of the second half, Vanderbilt cut the Tigers lead to four with a field goal, but Nussmeier had the ball back in his hands with a chance to regrow the lead. The Tigers once again found themselves in a third down situation, but Nussmeier hit Daniels over the middle, who was just able to get the line-to-gain. A few plays later, LSU faced a 4th-and-5 and decided to go for it, and you guessed it, Nussmeier found Daniels for a 24-yard gain.

All four of Daniels receptions came on third or fourth down, and all of them resulted in first downs.

After the game on Monday, Brian Kelly spoke with the media and he was asked about CJ Daniels' injury and what his role is on the team.

"First of all he's a great leader," said Kelly. "He's been a glue guys for us in terms of consistency every single day. He's playing through a more significant injury than maybe people realize. He has a preexisting condition, a heel injury, that is almost like a dislocation. I don't know how he does it. We're careful with his practices to get him to Saturdays, and on Saturday he's just so consistent."

After that, Kelly went on to add that all indications point towards him being back with the team next season.

"We're just excited about having him with us and all indications are that he's going to be back next year."

If the Tigers are able to retain Daniels, it will go a long way towards helping the offense in 2025. Kyren Lacy will be gone, but getting Daniels and Aaron Anderson back will be huge for whichever quarterback is starting next season.

We haven't seen anywhere near Daniels' best this year. He's been battling that ankle all year long, and while it will probably never be 100% because of his preexisting condition, he has more in the tank than he's shown this year.

Stay up to date on all the LSU news with your premium subscription

Talk about this story and more in The Quad

Make sure you're caught up on all the latest LSU news

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video and live streaming coverage