Kayshon Boutte, Ali Gaye Finding Their Voices as Leaders for LSU Football
Ali Gaye and Kayshon Boutte arrived in Baton Rouge with very different football backgrounds. Boutte was the highly coveted receiver out of high school while Gaye had to prove himself at multiple junior college stops.
Neither was particularly talkative in their first season with the program as they let their play do the talking for them. However, as part of a young locker room full of exceptional talent, their leadership, which extends to both sides of the football, has been as prominent as ever.
With the anticipation of many freshmen seeing the field this year, it’s important that these young players are properly prepared to provide key snaps in Tiger Stadium.
"Our guys did a tremendous job of responding,” Orgeron said.“Leadership on the team has been phenomenal. Thought Ali Gaye today had a tremendous day.”
Along with Gaye giving maximum effort, both the offensive and defensive line have been going every down throughout fall camp, looking to lead by example. Giving each snap everything they have sets an incredible precedent on the younger players on this roster.
"I gotta give Austin Deculus (credit), he's going every down,” Orgeron said. “Liam (Shanahan) is going every down. Neil Farrell is going every down. Ali Gaye is back going every down. Andre Anthony is going every down. Our linebackers are going every down. When you have your best players for the most part going every down, it helps the football team."
Offensively, the depth of the freshmen wide receivers has been a focal point of this fall camp, showing how ready they are if their name is called. With the freshman All-American Boutte leading that unit, the young guys are in good hands. Along with Boutte, Jontre Kirklin has stepped up as a leader in the locker room to groom these guys.
"I see leadership from Kayshon,” Orgeron said. “I see a very good connection with Max and Garrett. I think that him and Jontre and Jaray are leading this team not only the wide receivers, the team.”
Orgeron understands that with such a young offensive unit, it’s important his key players step up to lead by example and show the freshmen what to expect when their time comes.
“I told the team the other day, it's very important in order for us to be a championship team that our best players practice the best,” Orgeron said. “And there's no question I can tell you Kayshon is practicing the best and he's being a leader out there. He's into it, he comes and talks to me about a lot of things. He's coaching the young guys.”
All in all, with such a youthful roster and the expectation that this freshmen class will see the field this season, the veterans on both sides of the ball have done an exceptional job of making sure they’re ready when their name is called. The leadership is there and as this roster continues developing, the standard remains the same in Death Valley.
"All those young guys are coming along. Every one of them has their day,” Orgeron said. “This is one of the best group of skill freshmen that we've had here and I think all of them are going to get a chance to prove themselves."
