LSU's Justin Jefferson will transition from Mr. Outside to Mr. Inside at receiver in 2019

BATON ROUGE — Joe Brady, LSU's new passing game coordinator, figures he will put his most proven receiver closest to the action.

This is why junior Justin Jefferson, who led the Tigers with 54 catches for 875 yards and six touchdowns in 2018, has moved from the wide positioning to the inside slot receiver.

"We're going to throw you the ball inside," Brady told Jefferson. "We want you right there, and you're one of our main guys, so get the job done."

LSU's No. 2 wide receivers in 2018 were Stephen Sullivan with 23 catches for 363 yards and two touchdowns and Ja'Marr Chase with 23 for 313 yards and three touchdowns. Sullivan, a senior, has been moved to tight end.

Chase and fellow sophomore Terrace Marshall, who caught 12 passes for 192 yards, will be LSU's two widest boundary receivers on either side as they are each speed merchants and potentially better deep threats than Jefferson.

"So they wanted me to go inside to give us an inside look," Jefferson said. "It will be different routes, but mainly the difference is going against the safeties instead of a cornerback. For us as receivers, it's easier to go against safeties than a cornerback."

And what Brady hopes to bring to LSU from the New Orleans Saints, where he was an offensive assistant, is the quick passing game, which is where Jefferson will come in prominently.

"I'll have those quicker routes," Jefferson said. "I'll be getting the ball earlier and be able to make big plays after the catch."

LSU High 5:What must happen for Tigers to max out

Jefferson (6-foot-3, 192 pounds) could also move back outside with Chase (6-1, 200) or Marshall (6-4, 200) moving inside with freshman signee Trey Palmer (6-1, 180) also in the mix. Brady likes his receivers to be interchangeable.

"We don’t want any of our guys learning a position," he said. "They’re learning concepts. We can move everyone around the field. Ideally, the receiver you’re recruiting can play all three or four positions. We have the ability to move a guy from the boundary to the slot, the slot to the field, motion them. At the end of the day his job doesn’t change, he just knows the scheme."

RELATED: LSU has had a pleasantly quiet August

This can help an offense disguise strategy.

"I feel if people know exactly where people are going to be, defenses can dictate what they want to do and take guys out of the game," Brady said. "If we can move guys around, if we can get guys in positions that we want to get them into to attack people in coverage, now we’re at the advantage as opposed to defenses knowing exactly where our guys are."

Regardless of where Jefferson may line up, chances are defenses will know exactly where No. 2 is, beginning with the season opener on Aug. 31 when No. 6 LSU hosts Georgia Southern at 6:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium on ESPNU.

"He's a fantastic route runner," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said.

"Justin is very versatile. We can do a lot of things with him," Brady said.

AT LSU'S CENTER: Lloyd Cushenberry is seeing more stars

Jefferson likes the idea of getting the ball quickly.

"We're going to have a much faster pace," he said. "That's going to get the defense on their heels, and just move the ball quicker and score really faster."

Brady does not plan on huddling either.

"We're getting used to that," Jefferson said. "It feels good to do that and keep moving the pace. We'll be much faster than we were last year."

Jefferson caught four passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers' 40-32 win over No. 7 and undefeated Central Florida in the Fiesta Bowl last season. He caught at least one pass in all 13 games last season and at least five in seven games. Jefferson led all receivers with six catches for 108 yards in the Tigers' 36-16 win over No. 2 Georgia in game seven last season. This after the Destrehan High product caught no passes as a freshman in 2017 through six games.

"The Georgia game really set my standards high," he said. "I had that confidence in me, like, 'Oh yeah, I can really do this. I can really make plays on this big of a level.'"

Quarterback Joe Burrow feels Jefferson is just getting started.

"We had a connection right off last year, and it has only gotten better," he said. "I think he can even be better this season."

Opponents may not be able to key on Jefferson as they did last year.

"He was our best receiver last year, quite honestly," Burrow said. "The offense was tailored around getting him the ball a lot of the times. This year, we're going to be spreading the ball out a little more."

RELATED:Could it be the year LSU reaches College Football Playoffs?

Jefferson, though, will be top priority by defenses.

"I'm always ready," he said. "No pressure at all. I'm ready to set the mark. We want to win the championship."

If that happens, Jefferson is convinced it will be done with the passing game like it has not been done at LSU in years. The last LSU receiver to have 900 yards or more receiving was Jarvis Landry in 2013 when he had 1,193 with Odell Beckham getting 1,152. The last receiver to catch double-digit touchdowns was also Landry with 10 in 2013.

"We're not going to have the same playbook," Jefferson said. "I mean, we're throwing the ball way more than we did last year. We're excited about it."

The fans will be too.

"It's going to be crazy," Jefferson said. "Everybody's going to have crazy numbers this season — me, Ja'Marr, Terrace. We're ready to throw it. It's going to be a big year for all of us."