LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson entered 2025 with hopes of a breakout campaign after leading LSU in catches (61) and receiving yards (884) last season. However, things didn't go as planned as he battled multiple injuries and missed significant time on several occasions.
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Playing in just eight games, Anderson finished the 2025 season with 33 catches for 398 yards. He did not score a single touchdown after totaling five touchdown catches a year ago. Given his underwhelming 2025 season, LSU fans were hopeful that Anderson would return to Baton Rouge for his final year of eligibility in order to improve his draft stock.
However, Anderson accepted an invitation to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier this week. His decision most likely means that Anderson is not going to return to LSU for his final year of eligibility as he eyes an NFL career.
Invitation Accepted@LSUfootball WR Aaron Anderson is headed to the East-West Shrine Bowl! 🐯#GeauxTigers | #ShrineBowlWHOSNEXT 😎 pic.twitter.com/armmm0qLsF
— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) December 12, 2025
What will LSU's WR room look like in 2026 without Aaron Anderson?
Anderson spent the last three seasons with LSU after transferring in from Alabama in 2022. In that time, Anderson has racked up 106 catches for 1,341 yards and five touchdowns. As Anderson looks to the NFL, LSU's WR room has some serious question marks heading into the 2026 season.
According to PFF, the only LSU wide receivers expected to return for Lane Kiffin's first season in Baton Rouge who played at least 100 snaps in 2026 include redshirt sophomore Kyle Parker and Oklahoma transfer Nic Anderson. This past season, Parker had 24 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns while Anderson had 12 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Barion Brown led the Tigers with 495 receiving yards in 2025, while Zavion Thomas was not far behind with 473 yards of his own. Both are out of eligibility, which means that LSU will lose its top three pass-catchers from this past regular season.
With little experience coming back in 2026, it will be interesting to see how Kiffin rounds out his WR room. The incoming recruiting class includes 4-star WRs Corey Barber and Jabari Mack, as well as 3-star WR Brayden Allen. Furthermore, Kiffin has shown great success at utilizing the transfer portal, so it wouldn't be surprising to see other names emerge over the next few weeks.