LSU Athletics
By Hunt Palmer
The loss of Jayden Daniels didn’t cripple LSU’s passing game. Far from it.
Garrett Nussmeier took over the reins of the Tiger air attack and threw for the second highest yardage total in school history. Daniels’s departure cut LSU’s rushing attack at the knees.
The Tiger offense struggled in 2023 to run the ball against the best fronts it saw. Against Florida State in Orlando, LSU tailbacks ran for just 54 yards, and 44 came on one Josh Williams carry before halftime. At Alabama, Daniels ran for 163. Running backs ran for 43. Against Texas A&M, Daniels locked up the Heisman with four touchdown passes and 120 rushing yards. The running backs accounted for 36 yards.
When Daniels left, so did the ground game.
Last season LSU finished last in the 16-team SEC in rushing yards per game. Josh Williams was considered the first team back. He ran for just 37 yards per game. John Emery tore his ACL after an encouraging debut in Las Vegas against USC. Caden Durham emerged in Columbia, S.C., as the lead back. He ran for 98 yards and a pair of scores that sultry afternoon the Palmetto State. Two weeks later he dislocated two toes which bothered him the rest of the season. Kaleb Jackson only carried the ball 44 times.
The running backs don’t shoulder too much of the blame for a poor ground game. LSU’s offense line failed to get much push throughout the year.
The focus in the spring was getting the ground game going. The offensive line has been overhauled, and the scheme on the ground features new wrinkles. Former Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins was brought in to coach tight ends and help with the rushing attack.
This group of Tiger backs is light on depth but does feature talent.
WHO’S GONE:
- Josh Williams (Graduation)
- John Emery Jr. (Transfer – UTSA)
WHO’S BACK:
- Caden Durham (5’9”, 205, Soph)
- Kaleb Jackson (6’0”, 234, Jr)
WHO’S NEW:
- Harlem Berry (5’11”, 190, Fr)
- JT Lindsey (6’0”, 191, Fr)
WHAT WE KNOW
Durham is the lead back. After the South Carolina game last year, he was the featured weapon out of the backfield. Williams did a nice job, but he was a four yard per carry back with a long of 23 last year. Durham averaged 5.4 yards per carry and could hit the home run. He had a 71-yard catch and run against South Alabama on the first play from scrimmage and backed it up with an 86-yard scamper to the one on the next drive.
He had a 45-yard run versus Alabama, a 50-yarder against Oklahoma and catches of over 35 yards against UCLA and Texas A&M.
Durham’s speed is exceptional, especially when he’s playing without two dislocated toes. His balance was also on display at South Carolina and at Arkansas. In those two games he combined for 32 carries and 199 yards with five touchdowns.
He gained 50 yards after contact at South Carolina and forced eight missed tackles. That’s far more than just speed.
LSU Freshman RB Caden Durham had a BREAKOUT game today vs South Carolina. All his touches on the film below.
Has outstanding lower body strength, contact balance and yards after contact ability. Stock 📈
Say hello to the next great LSU back. Finally! pic.twitter.com/2u0zc47glk
— Brandon Lejeune (@DevyDeepDive) September 14, 2024
The Duncanville product has a low center of gravity and powerful legs that make him hard to take down. Once he gets free, his track speed is a problem.
Kaleb Jackson never got out of neutral last year. He finished with just 155 yards rushing without a touchdown. Size, speed and strength are not the issue for Jackson. He’s built like a Jeep at 6-feet and 234 lbs. He runs like one, too. He ran a 10.98 in the 100 meters as a high school senior which was fourth in the state. He just never got any forward momentum going last year. For a back that size to force four missed tackles all year (two versus South Alabama), something isn’t right.
Meet Freshman RB Kaleb Jackson. 6’0 225 and an absolute downhill unit!! pic.twitter.com/lE0NkfvRuA
— Full-Time Dame 💰 (@DP_NFL) September 16, 2023
Jackson had every opportunity to transfer during the portal window but said in the spring that he wanted to stay close to home and play for the Tigers.
Harlem Berry is a headliner. He was the top prep back in the class of 2025, and displayed his elusiveness in the spring. Berry isn’t a big back, but he’s got top-end speed and exceptional body control in space. Berry catches the ball well and excels when he gets into the open.
Harlem Berry is quickly acclimating at #LSU.
The 5-star true freshman has now been on campus for three months including the bowl practices in December.
Berry consistently running with the three’s but may have a skillset too special to keep him off the field in 2025. pic.twitter.com/BDnS1IBIVI
— John Eads WAFB-TV (@JohnEadsWAFB) March 15, 2025
JT Lindsey from Alexandria mirrors Berry’s frame. On3’s composite ranked him the No. 9 rusher in the country. He didn’t enroll early, so his first practice at LSU will be next week.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
So much of this projection involves the offensive line and revamped rushing scheme. We know from the spring that LSU is going to feature plenty of different looks to try to kick-start the ground game.
Misdirection and deception will be more prevalent.
My contention is that LSU’s talent level in the backfield is plenty high enough. Durham, while on the smaller side, is fast and physical enough to be a high-level SEC back. I think he can run for 1,000 yards if the way is paved properly.
Durham’s balance and tackle-breaking ability are exceptional, and I don’t think he’ll be caught from behind in 2025 the way he was a couple of times in 2024 due in part to the dislocated toes that forced him to wear an insert in his cleat. He just needs more space.
Speaking of that, Jackson is ineffective without lanes to run. His style is lumbering downhill. He’s not going to make a quick cut in a hole and shake a linebacker. He needs to hit a hole and lower his pads. Last year, there were no holes. Jackson’s vision has been questioned, and I think that’s fair.
That’s probably what keeps a 235 track athlete from putting up better numbers or garnering more playing time. If LSU’s new offensive line and scheme can create lanes, Jackson will thrive as a fresh back behind Durham. If there are more issues run blocking, he’ll be the back he was last year.
Berry will have a role. I think it starts as a pass catcher. He’s so fluid running routes and catching the ball. Screens and bubbles create space where Berry shines. He made three or four defenders miss on one play in the spring.
Because he’s only 190 lbs., he’s probably not built for 20 carries week-after-week in SEC play. He’s a promising change of pace, though.
Lindsey is probably the fourth option based on his arrival time. That said, he’s one ankle tweak away from being squarely in the rotation. Trey Holly’s departure, not that a return was expected, means that LSU is down to four scholarship backs. That’s a light load.
If LSU stays healthy at running back, the talent level is plenty good enough. An injury to Durham would be a big problem.
The offensive line is the bigger story, though.
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