LSU’s history is littered with incredible seasons on both sides of the ball, making it a tough task to rank the very best of the best.
This story will attempt to do just that while accounting for both the modern, hyper-efficient era of college football while also acknowledging accomplishments from decades past.
Ranking the best individual seasons in LSU history
Here’s a breakdown of the 5 best (plus a couple more) seasons in LSU football history:
No. 5: Billy Cannon, 1959
Rushing stats: 598 yards, 5 touchdowns
Billy Cannon makes the cut not because of his gaudy stats (which are better than they may initially appear), but because college football history from previous eras is worth honoring. Cannon was arguably LSU’s first great player, earning unanimous All-American honors twice and the program’s first-ever Heisman Trophy in 1959.
It’s true that 598 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns don’t pop off the screen in the context of modern offensive production. But consider that in 1959, LSU averaged just over 65 plays from scrimmage per game and Cannon only received about 14 rush attempts per contest. LSU also only played in 10 games that season. Imagine the kind of numbers he could have put up in a more modern offensive structure across 12 regular season games and a potential multi-game postseason run.
No. 4: Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, 2019
Chase stats: 84 receptions, 1,780 yards, 20 touchdowns
Jefferson stats: 111 receptions, 1,540 yards, 18 touchdowns
This is certainly cheating the “top 5” ranking, but it’s simply too difficult to pick between Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson in 2019. Jefferson led the country with 111 receptions. He was a consistent safety blanket for Joe Burrow during that famed 2019 season that resulted in an undefeated national championship run. A remarkable 67 of his 111 catches went for first downs that year.
Chase might have been even better than Jefferson. He led the nation with 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. Fast forward a few years and both playmakers are among the best the NFL has to offer. The best wide receiver duo we’ve seen — perhaps ever at the collegiate level — will fittingly share the No. 4 spot in this list.
No. 3: Leonard Fournette, 2015
Rushing stats: 300 rush attempts, 1,953 yards, 22 touchdowns
Leonard Fournette put together the best season by a running back in LSU history back in 2015. He got to the cusp of 2,000 rushing yards — a mark that has only been reached by an SEC running back once since the turn of the century (Derrick Henry in 2015). He also tacked on 22 rushing touchdowns.
Fournette became LSU’s single-season all-time leading rusher during that season but he also showed off some remarkable efficiency considering his workload. He’s the only SEC running back since 2000 to rush for more than 6 yards per attempt with over 300 carries in a single season. It could be a long, long time before an LSU running back approaches what Fournette accomplished with the Tigers.
No. 2: Jayden Daniels, 2023
Passing stats: 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 208 efficiency rating
Rushing stats: 1,134 yards, 10 touchdowns
Statistically speaking, it doesn’t get any better than Jayden Daniels in 2023. He set the all-time record for single-season passer efficiency while joining the ranks of LSU’s 1,000-yard rushers. Since 2000, here’s the list of players to have a passer efficiency rating of even 180 plus 1,000 rushing yards in the same year: Cam Newton, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Daniels. College football royalty.
Daniels didn’t get a national title, but his season from an efficiency standpoint remains one of the best in the history of college football. He was ultimately rewarded with the 3rd Heisman Trophy in LSU history.
No. 1: Joe Burrow, 2019
Passing stats: 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 202 efficiency rating
Joe Burrow claims the No. 1 spot on this list. His passing efficiency wasn’t quite to Daniels’ level, but the volume was pretty remarkable. Burrow threw for 60 touchdowns that season. Only 3 other power-conference quarterbacks have even reached 50 passing touchdowns in the history of the sport.
Burrow’s postseason performance is enough to put his season over Daniels in LSU lore. Across 3 games (SEC Championship vs. Georgia and Playoff games vs. Oklahoma and Clemson), Burrow threw for 1,305 yards, 16 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. It’s one of the best multi-game stretches in the history of the sport and Burrow did it when the lights were at their absolute brightest.
An especially-honorable mention: Tyrann Mathieu, 2011
Defensive stats: 76 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 9 pass breakups, 5 fumble recoveries, 6 forced fumbles, 2 touchdowns
Punt return stats: 27 returns, 421 return yards, 2 return touchdowns
It feels reductive to even put Mathieu’s stats on the page. He’s not here for his production, although he was extremely impressive in 2011 both as a defensive back and as a returner. No player in the CFP era has forced 4 fumbles and returned 2 punts for touchdowns in the same season. Mathieu had 2 punt return TDs, forced 6 fumbles, snagged 2 scoop-and-scores and then added 9 pass breakups, 8 tackles for loss, 5 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions. He was a menace.
Stats aside, Mathieu is here because for a certain generation of college football fans, Mathieu was the first player who made it seem like anything could happen on any given play. He could flip a game in an instant on defense or special teams — and often did. Over the last quarter-century, this sport has rarely been more fun than it was when “Honey Badger” was hunting a big play. His 2011 season was electricity personified — as if someone had captured the chaotic energy of a spinning top and bottled it into a 5-9 cornerback who always had something to prove.
More honorable mentions: Patrick Peterson, 2010; Glenn Dorsey, 2007; Josh Reed, 2001
Ranking the best individual seasons in LSU football history Saturday Down South.
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