One move Josh Heupel needs to try to make for Vols that would be the biggest story of the offseason

There's a move that Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel should try to make that would be one of the biggest stories of the College Football offseason. Earlier this week, LSU Tigers wide receiver Kayshon Boutte declared for the 2023 NFL Draft after initially announcing that he was returning to Baton Rouge for another season. […]

Zach Ragan Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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There's a move that Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel should try to make that would be one of the biggest stories of the College Football offseason.

Earlier this week, LSU Tigers wide receiver Kayshon Boutte declared for the 2023 NFL Draft after initially announcing that he was returning to Baton Rouge for another season.

Boutte is a former five-star recruit who was rated as the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2020 recruiting class.

The Louisiana native has an insane amount of talent but he hasn't been able to put it all together at LSU. Boutte has been dominant at times — he caught 14 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns against Ole Miss in 2020 — and he's disappeared at times, too (one catch for four yards against Auburn earlier this season).

For whatever reason, it seemed that Boutte just wasn't a good match with new LSU head coach Brian Kelly. Their relationship got off to a rocky start and it never seemed to improve much (at least publicly).

Heupel needs to get on the phone with Boutte and gauge his interest in playing for Tennessee next season. Boutte has the talent to be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft, but he hasn't been able to maximize his talent in Baton Rouge.

If Boutte transferred to Tennessee and played one season in Heupel's high-powered offense, he would be a surefire top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (he'd probably get a nice NIL deal as well).

Boutte's situation is kind of like Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt's situation entering the 2022 season.

Hyatt was an extremely talented player but he just didn't have his priorities quite in the right place. After the 2021 season, Hyatt essentially rededicated himself to football. And it paid off in a big way — Hyatt was the best wide receiver in the nation in 2022.

Imagine what Boutte could do in Knoxville if he arrived with a fresh start and embraced the same mindset as Hyatt.

I'm not saying it's a foolproof plan — Boutte has to want to be great and put in the work to make it happen — but I think it's a phone call Heupel should at least make.

And who knows, maybe Boutte would see the value in playing for the Vols and increasing his draft stock.

It could be a match made in heaven.

Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports