Brian Kelly addresses his plan to get receiver Kayshon Boutte back on track

First-year coach Brian Kelly has gotten his LSU squad refocused following a season-opening defeat at the hands of Florida State, ripping off two straight wins including a 31-16 defeat of SEC West foe Mississippi State this weekend. Still, it feels like there’s more potential for the Tigers to unlock, particularly if they can get receiver Kayshon Boutte back on track.

Boutte was one of the team’s best weapons in 2020 and 2021, accounting for 83 catches for 1,244 yards and 14 touchdowns over that two-season span.

So far, though, in three games under Kelly’s watch, Boutte has accounted for just 10 catches for 93 yards. He’s yet to find the end zone.

Kelly took some accountability this week for that lack of production, while not completely absolving Boutte from that same accountability.

“I think that’s a little bit of both. I think, look, this is never one-sided,” the former Notre Dame coach explained. “It’s never all on the player, it’s never all on the coach at this level. I think you have to look at both, right? We have to look at how we can move him around and utilize his talents, and then he’s got to continue to work hard and work on his skill set and continue to work hard in practice.”

Receiver Kayshon Boutte still commanding attention

While Boutte’s numbers so far this season are nothing to write home about, that’s not to say the junior wideout hasn’t had an impact.

He might personally be racking up big numbers on the box scores, but he’s allowed fellow receivers Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas and Jaray Jenkins more room to work by virtue of the attention he commands.

Nabers has caught 14 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown, leading the team in the former two categories. Jenkins leads the team in touchdown catches with three, while Thomas ranks second on the team with 121 receiving yards.

Still, there’s little doubt the Tigers get a lot more dangerous if Boutte personally gets into a groove.

Finding a way for LSU and new quarterback Jayden Daniels to get the ball in his hands should be a point of emphasis. Kelly, though, simply emphasized both parties trying to do a better job maximizing what they can get out of the talented 6-foot, 205-pound receiver.

“It’s always going to be that, at this level, at the next,” Kelly said. “It’s always going to be on the player, it’s always going to be on the coaching staff to work together. This is working together as a team is how you get better. It’s never just one side of it. So absolutely, we’ve got to do our job as coaches to move him around and be creative and he’s got to do his end of continue to work hard and be the best player he can be.”