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Last season it appeared that quarterback Myles Brennan could have been on his way to being a breakout star for the LSU Tigers. His season was cut short by injury and another unfortunate injury ended his 2021 campaign before it could get started. There are three Tigers this year who could be breakout candidates according to Athlon Sports. They released their SEC all-breakout team.
On the offensive side of the ball, it is all about Kayshon Boutte. Given that Athlon picked a trio of quarterbacks with Bryce Young, JT Daniels, and Emory Jones, that left no room for Max Johnson. Boutte ended the year as the leading receiver for the Tigers in yards. His SEC freshman record day against Ole Miss was a huge reason why.
Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt and LSU’s Kayshon Boutte headline the breakout picks at receiver.
It should come as no coincidence that Boutte’s best games came with Max Johnson at quarterback. According to The Athletic (subscription required), the duo worked on their timing together after practices.
And whenever Embrick would check in with Boutte, his son would tell him he and Johnson were staying after practice to gain extra reps. They would work on perfecting their timing and execution. Far from the spotlight, these two were refining the connection that is now the focal point of LSU’s offense.
He will be the player to watch when the Tigers have the ball for the foreseeable future.
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On defense, Athlon named BJ Ojulari and Jay Ward. Ojulari will be in the rotation behind Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye, but he is expected to see ample playing time. Last season for the Tiger Ojulari received the fourth-highest grade from PFF right behind Gaye and ahead of Jabril Cox.
Ojulari played a total of 314 snaps with 189 coming as a pass rusher. He would finish third on the team with 24 quarterback pressures. Ojulari accounted for five TFLs and four sacks.
The other name to appear was Jay Ward. He played a total of 232 snaps in coverage for the Tigers. PFF graded him as the No. 5 best LSU defender in coverage. Ward was the second-best player in terms of creating interceptions with three last season. With JaCoby Stevens now in the NFL, Ward will get to see plenty of time in the secondary as the lead safety.
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