The ball out-of-bounds rule has been around for a long time and it's not going away anytime soon. Some of you may remember the rule coming into play a while back in Buffalo when the Bills knocked some New England wide receiver out cold and made him fumble the ball right at the sidelines, but because he was lying unconscious with part of his body out of bounds and another part of him touching (but not possessing) the ball, the ball was considered out of bounds and the ball went to New England.
Pretty much the same thing on the kickoff. If the ball is touched by a player who is out of bounds, the ball is considered out of bounds too, regardless of possession. Thus, kickoff is out of bounds.