BATON ROUGE — LSU wide receiver Josh Reed, winner of the Biletnikoff Award this past season, will forgo his senior season and will enter the NFL Draft, he announced at a press conference here on Thursday.
“The past nine days I’ve had to mull over one of the most difficult decisions of my life. The four years I’ve spent at LSU have been the best of my life. Being a part of an SEC Championship team and winning the Sugar Bowl are two of my proudest accomplishments. To be part of a program with a coaching staff and teammates that are so driven to succeed is something I’m quite proud of. But at the same time, I’ve been in a unique position and been fortunate enough to examine my future athletic career. After talking with my family, coaches, teammates and several NFL executives, I feel it is in the best interest of my family and me that I forego my senior season and make myself available for the NFL draft. “
Reed, a native of Rayne, La., joins linebacker Trev Faulk as LSU’s two early entries into the NFL Draft.
In 2001, Reed became LSU’s first winner of the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation’s top receiver, and he was named first team All-America by the Associated Press, Walter Camp, Football Writer’s Association, CNNSI.com, ABC Sports online, Collegefootballnews.com and the Sporting News.
As a junior in 2001, Reed set numerous Southeastern Conference and school records in helping the Tigers to their first outright conference title
since 1986 and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. LSU beat then-No. 2 Tennessee, 31-20, in the SEC Championship game and then followed that with a 47-34 victory over then-No. 7 Illinois in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers finished the year with a 10-3 overall mark.
For the year, Reed caught 94 passes for 1,740 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 1,740 receiving yards ranked first in the nation and marked the highest single-season total in SEC history. Reed’s average of 145.0 yards per game also led the nation and broke the SEC record. Reed broke 15 school or SEC records in 2001.
Reed’s 94 receptions broke the school-record and ranked as the second highest single-season total in SEC history.
In 13 games for the Tigers in 2001, Reed had 11 100-yard receiving games, a school-record, and he twice went over the 200-yard mark. Reed set an SEC record with 293 yards on a league record 19 receptions in the Tigers’ 35-21 win over Alabama on Nov. 3. Reed also set a pair of pair of Sugar Bowl record with 14 receptions for 239 yards in the Tiger win over the Illini.
Reed led the SEC in three categories – receiving yards per game (145.0), receptions per game (7.8) and all-purpose yards (155.0). Reed ranked third nationally in receptions per game and he was 11th in the nation in all-purpose yards.
Reed, who played wide receiver for just 26 regular-season games at LSU, became the first 3,000-yard receiver in SEC history as he capped his Tiger career with 3,001 yards. In his first full season at wide receiver in 2000, Reed caught 65 passes for 1,127 yards and 10 touchdowns.
For his career, Reed finished with 167 receptions for 3,001 yards and 17 touchdowns. Reed also rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown. Reed also recorded 18 100-yard receiving games for the Tigers, a school-record.