LSU football is returning a sophomore record breaker, but it’s a veteran pass-catcher that coach Ed Orgeron said he wants to see a breakout year for in 2021.
That sophomore is Kayshon Boutte, who set the single-game record for receiving yards in game (308) last year in the Tigers' 53-48 win over Ole Miss. But speaking on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert, Kristian Garic and Mike Detillier on Tuesday, LSU coach Ed Orgeron said it's 5th-year wide receiver Jontre Kirklin he'll be looking at for a potential breakout season.
"As you know, he was an outstanding player in high school," Orgeron said. "He’s a team leader for us, comes to work with a smile everyday."
The Lutcher native opted to return to LSU for an extra year of eligibility after being a productive pass-catcher in the 2020 season. Kirklin caught 13 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Admittedly Kirklin was switching jerseys and playing for two offenses, but he still hauled in 18 receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
And that versatility could be a sign of things to come, with the coach noting his potential on speed sweeps and even some QB snaps if the need arises.
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"I’m looking for him to have a breakout year, man, for him to have — get some balls in his hands, put him in space and let him make plays and also run some speed sweeps," Orgeron said. "As you know, we could also run the wildcat with Jontre if we had to."
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MORE FROM ORGERON ON SPORTSTALK (click here for latest clips)
WHAT'S MICAH BASKERVILLE'S STATUS?
“It looks right now like Micah is going to be back with the team. He’s still got some academic work left to do, but right now it looks like everything’s a go with Micah. He’s had a great offseason, he’s back working with the team. He’s doing fantastic.”
ON POTENTIAL ADDITION OF TEXAS & OKLAHOMA
“I’ve said it the other day, football’s changing and you’ve got to change with the time. I think it’s good. It gives our conference a lot of power ... adds to our recruiting areas in Texas, adds to our recruiting areas in Dallas, opens up some doors for us. I think it’s good.”
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HOW MUCH GAMEPLANNING HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE FOR UCLA?
"We broke down UCLA. We broke down McNeese, Central Michigan, Michigan State, Auburn, Kentucky and Florida. We’ve gone through all those teams already, especially UCLA.
"Now, again, we’ve made a preliminary gameplan. As you know Bobby, the hay is never in the barn over here, it ain’t never gonna be until the last second. We’ve got a preliminary gameplay but things are gonna change. We’re gonna go through camp. Obviously we’ve got a quarterback competition. We’re gonna see what we can do best, and then we put all that together. Now we’re gonna re-look at what we did for our preliminary gameplan against UCLA and put up some new things, and some things that we think will work.”
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ON COVID VACCINES
“This is the message. ... Everybody has a personal choice whether or not they want to get vaccinated. But there are restrictions on people who don’t want to get vaccinated. This is a competitive sport — and coaches, too. Coaches have an opportunity. If they don’t want to get vaccinated, they don’t have to. But it does help when everybody’s vaccinated and everybody’s protected.
"And still with all the other stuff coming off, we’re still gonna have to be careful. This is an ongoing thing, and I’m glad that we have a strong medical team. They are always in research. I think we’re at the forefront of this stuff. Our guys tell us what to do and we follow it.”
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Follow Jeff Nowak on Twitter @Jeff_Nowak or contact him by email at jeffrey.nowak@audacy.com