With all the issues that were clear in week one for LSU, one thing that many fans still have confidence in is the play of the wide receiving core.
There weren’t many positives to take from LSU’s seasoning open loss to UCLA, but if there was one it was the play of Kayshon Boutte. Boutte finished the game with nine catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns and looked every bit as good as many expected him to be coming into the season.
Boutte led the Tigers in receiving in 2020, tallying 45 receptions for 735 yards and five TDs and came into the season with many rating him as one of the best returning receivers in college football. He will continue to be relied on for the bulk of the Tigers’ production through the air, but the LSU receiver room includes several players who can make a serious impact this season. Koy Moore, Jaray Jenkins, Jontre Kirklin and Trey Palmer are all returning players who are more than capable of having a breakout season.
One guy who stands out the most from that group going into the season is Moore. He had a relatively quiet game against UCLA with just three catches and 32 yards, but is a player who is uber-talented and really started to come into his own towards the end of last season. Moore is also a guy who has an elite work ethic that has many people excited for what he’ll do in the 2021 season, including Head Coach Ed Orgeron.
“Koy’s a very hard worker,” Orgeron said assessing the receiver room. “Koy’s one of the guys who maybe works a little too hard, we have to back him up a little bit, but he should be ready to have a good season.”
 Alongside the returning players, LSU introduces a talented freshmen class at receiver featuring Malik Nabers, Deion Smith, Brian Thomas Jr. and Chris Hilton Jr. All four of these freshmen come to LSU as four-star recruits and all are expected to make immediate impacts with the team. Orgeron is very high on the group as a whole and expects them to contribute early on.
“All of the young guys are coming along,” Orgeron said when speaking about the freshman wide receivers. “This one of the best groups skilled freshmen that we’ve had here, and I think all of them are going to get a chance to prove themselves.”
Getting production out of the freshmen will be huge for the LSU offense, as it could allow them to be as many as eight-deep at that position. Having eight wide receivers who can all add something to the offense is rare and creates a huge advantage against any defense. Having that many different looks for a defense to have to account makes the offense extremely dynamic and difficult for any defensive coordinator to prepare for.
These eight wide receivers aren’t the only ones expected to make an impact in the passing game, however, as the LSU offense is still insistent on involvement from the tight ends. Sophomore Kole Taylor and freshman Jack Bech will be the two tight ends to watch for as both are athletic, long tight ends who can make plays in the passing game.
Taylor has already become a fan favorite among LSU fans after being one of the heroes of the infamous ‘shoe game’ last season where a Florida defensive back threw Taylor’s shoe down the field resulting in a fifteen-yard penalty and eventually the game winning field goal.
Bech enters his first year with the Tigers as a highly touted prospect from just down the road in Lafayette. A four-star wide receiver coming out of high school, Bech made the transition to tight end over the summer and is expected to be a vertical threat at the position as a guy who is both slimmer and quicker than most tight ends.
Any team with 10 players expected to make a real impact in the passing game is one to watch. With the pass catchers LSU returns on offense, there is still reason to believe that LSU can compete at an elite level offensively. Despite the disappointing loss in week one, the receiver room is one that should keep LSU fans optimistic about the rest of the season.