LSU Football, Brian Kelly on Kayshon Boutte's NFL Decision Change

ORLANDO, Florida. – LSU Soccer coach Brian Kelly declined to reveal timeline details behind the LSU wide receiver Kayshon BoutteThe decision to backtrack and declare for the 2023 NFL Draft on Wednesday, Kelly said at a press conference on Sunday.

Kelly announced Wednesday that Boutte was “unavailable” to play in Monday’s Citrus Bowl against Purdue, although Boutte said Dec. 1. 5 that he was returning to LSU for the 2023 season. In Wednesday’s statement, Kelly also said Boutte was signed to LSU for the spring semester.

Boutte then declared for the 2023 NFL Draft just hours after Kelly’s declaration.

“Unavailable, as you know, means I can’t speak to some of the underlying reasons or I would have been more specific,” Kelly said Sunday.

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Without Boutte, no. 17 LSU (9-4) will face Purdue (8-5) at Camping World Stadium with just three stock players at wide receiver, after Jack Bech traded to TCU.

Kelly noted that Boutte is torn over his decision to leave the draft or stay at LSU throughout this year. He added that the chaos of December – with the transfer gate active, recruitment heating up and preparation for the bowling match happening at the same time – meant Kelly and his team needed time to help Boutte weigh in. all of its options.

“He needed to get all of this information,” Kelly said. And once he did, he made the best decision for him and we backed him up 100%.

Boutte has been the subject of much debate throughout this season. His relationship with Kelly came into the spotlight before spring training began, as Boutte did not attend team practices while recovering from an ankle injury.

“He’s a great player. He’s a good boy. But it’s been a tough time for him,” Kelly said in March. And what do you tend to get distracted from because you’re not involved in everything, but he learns that you have to be involved in everything, whether you’re hurt or not.

Kelly later admitted to The Advertiser in May that he “threw a shot at (Bootte’s) bow” at the time.

“I don’t normally send media messages to players,” Kelly told The Advertiser. “I usually talk to them, but I didn’t know him very well. So that was the best way for me to get his attention.”

Boutte in the preseason also admitted he was considering entering the transfer portal last offseason as LSU transitioned with Kelly taking charge of the program.

“It was a little weird playing for people I had never really met,” Boutte said in August. “I had never really met any of them personally, so I felt like I didn’t belong.”

But he eventually bought into Kelly and the new staff’s plan. And after his public schism with Kelly in preseason, his behind-the-scenes efforts and relationship with Kelly seemed to improve as the season progressed. Kelly even praised Boutte for his leadership and attention to detail during practices the week before LSU won over Florida.

“He set the standard by far in terms of how he trained and it showed in the way he played,” Kelly said after the Tigers’ win over Florida. “He was faster than anyone. He broke tackles. He made the difference.”