Last season the Tigers would lose Ja’Marr Chase to an opt-out. Arik Gilbert and Terrace Marshall Jr would follow suit but later in the year. By season’s end, it left Kayshon Boutte as the top wide receiver on the team. He rewarded the team’s faith against Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss. Going into year two is Boutte’s game about to skyrocket?
In ranking the top 25 breakout wide receivers for the 2021 season, Athlon Sports is very high on the Tigers No. 1 target for the upcoming campaign.
Kayshon Boutte: No. 2 Overall
There’s no question that plenty of eyes will be watching Boutte in the upcoming season. He showed chemistry with starting quarterback Max Johnson in the final two games of the season. Against both Florida and Ole Miss, Boutte racked up 19 receptions for 416 yards and four touchdowns. His best stretch of the season.
Less than half of his receptions for the year game in the final two weeks, but more than half of his production in yards did. Boutte averaged 21.9 yards per reception against the Gators and Rebels. There is a lot of excitement about the 2020 five-star signee at wide receiver for the Tigers offense.
What Athlon Sports Says…
With Ja’Marr Chase opting out of 2020, along with the in-season departures of Terrace Marshall and Arik Gilbert, LSU’s receiving corps was in flux for most of last year. However, the absence of those three players opened the door for Boutte to thrive in December. Over the team’s final three games (Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss), he accounted for 27 catches for 527 yards and four scores, pushing his season total to 45 receptions for 735 yards and five touchdowns. Boutte should be in for a monster statistical year as the No. 1 target in Baton Rouge
The only receiver ahead of Boutte on the list is USC’s Drake London. We will revisit this after the season to see if the LSU product proved to be the biggest breakout at his position.