Boutte is a 6'5, 305-pound OL commit from New Iberia, LA. His highlight tape is rather comical, if for no other reason, he towers over his own teammates. It appears as if he's not fully getting into his stance, but he's just that large compared to them. Also, I'm unsure of whether or not he's related to former LSU DT Marc Boutte.
Shortly after committing, Barton Simmons tweeted:
Josh Boutte commits to LSU. I was just watching his film today. Really impressed. He'll be highly rated when we updated our rankings this wk.
That's a nice piece of praise from a national recruiting analyst.
There's typically two types of OL who excel at the next two levels: mean, nasty maulers and pure technicians. Obviously, some combo of both is what makes the elite guys like Jake Long, etc.
The first thing that sticks out to me on Boutte's tape is that he is one bad sumbitch and he wants you to know it. I LOVE OL who continue their blocks until their guy is on the ground. To me, that shows the tenacity and toughness required to be a superb linemen. I watch the tape of Vadal Alexander in awe, because he enjoys punishing his targets. In Boutte, I see the same. At 6'5, 305, he's got a nice frame without all the excess chubbiness. Obviously, almost every OL's body needs to be re-worked when they get to the next level, but Boutte seems to have a nice, naturally thick build without being tubby.
Beyond Boutte's aggressiveness, the way he fires out of his stance stands out to me. As a former (and terrible) OL, one thing our coach constantly reiterated was exploding out of your stance. Our center in HS was about 160 pounds, but I saw him absolutely melt guys weighing 270-280 pounds because he was not only tough, he fired out of his stance and got leverage. Those are two of the most important aspects in line play.
From the tape, Boutte will still need to work on coming out of his stance too high (a common problem for taller linemen), but that's a technical issue the coaches can work through.
The other noticeable point is that he really moves well. He pulls a good deal, and he looks really natural getting out in front of the play, locating his target and engaging them. Boutte moves well, and he doesn't labor.
Overall, I'm really impressed. Boutte is probably the top lineman in the state, and while he may not be quite to the level of a prospect of La'El Collins stature, he's only a step behind IMO. He likely projects to guard, but I could see him playing at RT, or even C in a pinch.
Here's a good, free read on Boutte and his commitment.