Why Brian Kelly 'threw a shot across his bow' at star LSU football WR Kayshon Boutte

Brian Kelly admits it: He called out Kayshon Boutte.

Boutte, LSU football's star wide receiver, was not attending workouts ahead of the start of spring practices in March. Although he was still recovering from a second surgery to his right ankle that would keep him out all spring, LSU's first-year coach was disappointed in the junior's absence.

"He's a great player. He's a good kid. But this has been a rough spot for him," Kelly said in March. "And what happens is you tend to get distracted because you're not involved in everything. But he's learning you got to be involved with everything whether you're injured or not."

At the Tiger Athletic Foundation's Coaches Caravan at Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux in Lafayette on Wednesday, Kelly told The Daily Advertiser he "threw a shot across his bow" at Boutte because of his lack of familiarity with him at the time.

"I don't normally send messages in the media to players," Kelly said. "I usually talk to them, but I didn't know him very well. So it was the best way for me to kind of get his attention."

Kelly believes that Boutte responded well, pointing out how the junior needs to be a leader among a younger corps of wide receivers.

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"I think he heard it," Kelly said. "And I think his response was appropriate. He was much more engaged.

"He got back out there and he was with the guys, he was engaged. He was helping them and that's what I was looking for."

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser and the USA TODAY Sports South Region. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football coach Brian Kelly calls out WR Kayshon Boutte