Brian Kelly on Kayshon Boutte's off night: He's got a lot of weight on his shoulders

Coming into the season, LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was viewed as arguably the top wideout in all of college football. In LSU’s first game during Week 1 on Sunday, though, Boutte was largely a non-factor. He had two receptions for 20 yards in the game, which the Tigers went on to lose 24-23 against Florida State.

Due to all of the preseason hype, Boutte’s off night on Sunday came as a pretty big surprise. He had one seven-yard reception and he added another 13-yard grab late.

After the loss, Kelly was asked about Boutte’s performance in the season opener. The first-year LSU coach thought that Boutte might have been pressing, and said that moving forward he needs to let the game come to him.

“You know, I think it’s like anything else. Here’s a great player trying to make plays, maybe trying to do a little too much, try to catch the ball before he had it,” Kelly said of Boutte. “I wouldn’t read too much into it. I think he learned tonight that he’s just got to let the game come to him. There’s going to be some nights where he doesn’t get all the balls. There’s so much – that young man has so much on his shoulders. We just got to get to him and tell him to let the game come to him, he’s going to get his catches and not to press as much.”

Boutte came into LSU’s 2022 season as one of the top projected NCAA wideouts

Boutte has yet to put up elite numbers at the college level, but the talent is there. He had 45 receptions for 735 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman in 2020, and had 38 receptions for 509 yards and nine touchdowns in six games last season. 2022 is expected to be the year he breaks out.

In the preseason, Boutte was named an AP First Team Preseason All-American, and he was also a First Team All-SEC selection.

Boutte has also received a lot of attention for the 2023 NFL Draft. ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay has Boutte ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2023 class due to his physicality, aggressiveness, and potential.

LSU is now 0-1 on the season and gets back in action on Saturday in Week 2 against Southern. Boutte will be looking to get back on track, and a lot of attention will be on whether or not he’s able to do so.