LSU football has a clear plan for 5-star WR Kayshon Boutte in 2020
By Zach Ragan
Five-star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was one of LSU football’s highest rated signees in the 2020 recruiting cycle.
LSU football is losing a lot of offensive production from their 2019 national championship team.
Quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, tight end Thaddeus Moss, center Lloyd Cushenberry and wide receiver Justin Jefferson were all key ingredients in LSU’s high octane offense this past season.
And they’re all heading to the NFL.
But fortunately for the Tigers, they have the nation’s No. 4 2020 recruiting class on the way to help restock the talent.
One of the key members of LSU’s 2020 signing class is five-star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who was rated by 247Sports as the No. 20 overall player in the nation.
Boutte has star potential in the SEC, but he isn’t coming to LSU as a big bodied wide receiver.
He’s only 6-foot/180 lbs.
But he plays much bigger.
Boutte excels at high pointing the ball, which allows him to win his fair share of 50/50 balls. The Louisiana native also has great hands and can stretch the field vertically.
Essentially, he’s the total package.
And the Tigers already have a plan for him.
Boutte recently told Sports Illustrated that LSU has high expectations for him as a true freshman, saying “They told me their goal for me is to come in and start as a freshman and take Jefferson’s place.”
Replacing Justin Jefferson won’t be easy.
In 2019, Jefferson exploded for 111 receptions for 1,540 yards, nearly doubling his totals from 2018.
Expecting Boutte to put up those kinds of numbers wold be completely unfair.
But while I don’t think Boutte is going to post 2019 Jefferson numbers (especially without Joe Burrow in the mix), I still think he can be a key part of the Tigers’ offense in 2020.
Boutte is going to be a tremendous player for LSU. And he can definitely be the next Justin Jefferson, but I don’t think that happens in 2020.
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But that’s okay. True freshmen shouldn’t have those exceptions. Boutte might be a five-star wide receiver, but he deserves time to develop just like any other player.
Fortunately for Boutte (and LSU), he’ll be lining up across the field from Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase.
Having a future star NFL wide receiver like Chase on the field tends to make things a little easier on the rest of the offense.