LSU Football Receiver Kayshon Boutte Settling in to Expanded Role Within the Offense
After a dazzling freshman campaign for the Tigers, sophomore wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is prepared for a breakout 2021-22 season. Being named to the freshman All-American team, Boutte is already gaining national recognition with hopes of being a top receiver in all of college football this upcoming season.
But Boutte knows that with plenty of talent surrounding him and the open offense the Tigers plan to implement in 2021, he'll have to improve in every aspect of his game to reach the lofty goals he's set out.
“Last year, I think the things I did best was speed and get out of my breaks,” said Boutte. “And this season I’m focusing on being more physical and better at my route running and blocking.”
As a true-freshman, Boutte caught 45 passes for a team high 735 yards and five touchdowns. With new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz, Boutte expects his role within this group to increase significantly. That means lining up all over the field and making an impact not just on the outside but in the slot and sometimes in the backfield.
"I find myself in many different places. Coach Peetz came in and moved me around,” said Boutte. “Last year I played mainly X, just X. This year I'm different, X, Z, backfield, I do it different. I like that he came in and changed the style."
Boutte's SEC record of 308 receiving yards in the season finale against Ole Miss put the icing on the cake in an eye-opening freshman season. But with that successful first year in Baton Rouge now in the rearview mirror, Boutte is prepared for the workload this upcoming season being WR1.
“There’s just a lot going on in the environment, you can’t focus on what’s going on outside, you gotta just focus on the task at hand,” said Boutte. “I think that is something that everybody’s doing a good job of.”
The task at hand for this LSU team is to compete for another SEC title in 2021 with Boutte leading the charge at the receiver position. With a new offensive scheme under Peetz, it appears as though this offense has all the weapons to be successful in the spread style.
“Coach Peetz came in with a good plan,” said Boutte. “He (Peetz) is making the quarterbacks get together and work every day on different stuff and Coach DJ [Mangas] is helping the receivers get better at what we do.”
Mangas, who was named the passing game coordinator for this upcoming season, helped Joe Brady recruit Boutte and many of the other young stars from that 2020 season on the offensive side of the ball.
As part of the revamped coaching staff coming in this season, there is a newfound energy within this locker room as each player is playing for one another. As each spring practice gets more and more competitive, this LSU group is getting closer by the day.
Though there is no set QB1, and there will not be until the fall, so each receiver is getting comfortable within the new system and gaining more confidence with whichever quarterback is throwing to them.
“We’re kind of getting used to how they throw the ball,” said Boutte. “You’re not going with just one quarterback, you’re going with different quarterbacks all throughout practice. After practice it gives us something to work on.”
