Kayshon Boutte to return to LSU Tigers for another season

Citing a season that "fell short" of the goal of winning a national championship, LSU standout receiver Kayshon Boutte said Monday he will return for his senior year.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both had Boutte as their fifth-ranked draft-eligible receiver.

Boutte burst onto the national stage late in his freshman year in 2020, scoring four of his five touchdowns in LSU's final two games.

Then, as a sophomore, he scored nine touchdowns in six games before an injury ended his season.

But Boutte never quite hit his stride as a junior this season. He missed a game because of the birth of his child and in another didn't appear due to illness. Boutte appeared in 11 games and had 48 catches for 538 yards and two touchdowns.

LSU beat Alabama and won the SEC West but a loss to Texas A&M in the final week of the regular season dashed the team's hopes of making the College Football Playoff.

On Saturday, LSU lost to No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game 50-30.

LSU will play Purdue in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2 in Orlando, Florida.