By Hunt Palmer
Last August LSU dressed eight scholarship running backs for fall camp. That number has been cut in half. Noah Cain graduated. Tre Bradford’s journey has wound from LSU to Oklahoma, back to LSU to North Texas and back to the transfer portal. Logan Diggs transferred to Ole Miss where he’s rehabbing from a torn ACL. Armani Goodwin couldn’t stay healthy. He moved on. Trey Holly is awaiting a court appearance and away from the team. Frank Wilson’s group is now low on numbers but high on talent and experience.
Wilson has seen a lot of different running back rooms during his tenures in Baton Rouge. He handled the 2011 group that spread carries between Spencer Ware, Kenny Hilliard, Alfred Blue, Michael Ford and Terrence Magee. He handed the Leonard Fournette’s incredible 2015 season. Both of those were fabulous rushing attacks just done completely different ways.
This iteration doesn’t look much like either of those. It’s not as deep as 2011 and not as top heavy as 2015. It is talented. My contention is that LSU will go as far as the running game takes it this season. There are certainly other aspects of the team that will be huge, but the cumulative effect the running game will have on Garrett Nussmeier, as well as the LSU defense, is going to trump it all.
WHO’S GONE: Noah Cain (Graduation), Tre’ Bradford (Transfer), Logan Diggs (Transfer), Armoni Goodwin (Transfer)
WHO’S BACK: Josh Williams, John Emery Jr., Trey Holly, Kaleb Jackson
WHO’S NEW: Caden Durham
John Emery Jr. and Josh Williams arrived on campus as part of a signing class that included players like Trey Palmer and Maurice Hampton. When they reported to campus, I hadn’t even met my wife yet. We’re nearing our fourth anniversary and have a 2.5-year-old.
They’ve been here awhile.
Neither figure to be an All-SEC first-team back, but both have real value.
Williams has run for over 1,000 yards in his Tiger career. He’s not a home run threat, but he’s steady. He catches the ball well and blocks when called upon. That’s kind of the point with Williams. He does what’s asked. In 2020, he was asked to return kickoffs. In 2021, he backed up Ty Davis-Price. In 2022, he led the team in rushing. In 2023, he took a back seat to Logan Diggs. Never complained.
This year every indication is that No. 18 will begin the season as the starter. He’ll get more carries than the other backs early on. Last year he averaged just north of four yards per carry. That should be the expectation once again this year.
Emery’s career at LSU has been truly unique. He’s won a national title, missed a year due to academic issues, gone through a knee injury, entered the transfer portal and come back. He’s made highlight reel plays and dealt with plenty of adversity. He’ll write the final chapter of that career in 2024 as a reserve back. He’s been a full participant in camp, navigating through drills in a bulky knee brace. It hasn’t appeared to slow him down. He’s cutting and accelerating without much issue.
The two vets are the most complete backs on the team. The staff can trust them.
The most exciting backs are the two youngsters—Kaleb Jackson and Caden Durham.
Jackson is the most physically gifted back in the group. He’s 6-feet tall and a bulky 235lbs. He runs exceptionally well. But outside of the highlight reel moments last year—and there were a few—there wasn’t much action.
When LSU’s Kaleb Jackson did this last season😳
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 6, 2024
He turned the corner against Mississippi State for 13 yards and leveled a defender. He found a seam on a kickoff against Auburn and busted it for 60 yards. He also found the endzone in the Reliaquest Bowl.
Still, the final statistics read 31 carries for 165 yards. It was a light workload. That’s to be expected to a degree when you have as much experience as Diggs, Williams, Cain and Emery atop the depth chart. But it still feels like there were some aspects of Jackson’s game that Wilson and Brian Kelly felt needed attention.
Jackson still doesn’t look completely comfortable catching the football. Not to say he drops the ball a lot. But it doesn’t look natural. He’s working on pass protection. That’s improving.
An increased role for Jackson feels like a real positive for LSU. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen. I’d bet that it does.
Durham is likely to see a similar role this year to Jackson’s in 2023. He’ll get some mop up carries against Nicholls. He may get to return a kick here or there. When he does get on the field, I’ll be watching. Durham has legitimate track speed. He ran a 10.28 in the 100m. It helps that his mom was a track star at Oklahoma.
Playing for Texas powerhouse Duncanville High last year he was a big play machine. He figures to be that one day at LSU. He’s only 5-foot-9, but he’s solidly built, topping 205 lbs.
LSU fans are familiar with the cast of characters here. It’s functionality of the running game that should look different.
Last season, Jayden Daniels shouldered a heavy, heavy workload in the running game. He was really all they had against Florida State and Alabama. That has to change this time around. LSU is going to feature an athletic and veteran offensive line. That group is going to have to create some lanes for Tiger rushers.
Ball control will be LSU’s friend this season. That makes life easier on Garrett Nussmeier and LSU’s defense.
My guess is that Williams remains the starter all year. Jackson eats into Emery’s carries as the season goes on. LSU finds a groove in the ground game they have been lacking for two years.
