By Hunt Palmer
If the thought of the transfer portal entered his mind, Kaleb Jackson could drive minutes for advice.
The Baton Rouge native and Liberty High School graduate took advantage of that multiple times during a tough 2024 season.
“My family is from here, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” Jackson said. “Having them in my circle is always amazing. Being able to go home, talk to my momma, talk to my grandma, talk to my father, all that stuff, it really sets my head straight and makes my want to go harder so I can do it for them, do it for my home state. I’m from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, born and raised, went to school down the street. That played an impact keeping me here and wanting to keep going.”
Jackson was a top 15 running back according to every service in 2023. As a freshman, he played sparingly but showed signs of immense promise. He pummeled a Mississippi State defender on a big play in Starkville. He returned a kickoff 60 yards against Auburn. He deftly plunged into the endzone in the Reliaquest Bowl against Wisconsin.
#LSU Kaleb Jackson with an early I’m grown and you’re not. My gawd. pic.twitter.com/WqnOaBDblS
— Jacob Hester (@JacobHester18) September 16, 2023
Those moments were supposed to translate to a breakout 2024. They didn’t. Jackson ran for a total of 150 yards and didn’t score.
“I don’t know how to explain going through that season,” Jackson said. “It just wasn’t my time. I didn’t make good enough plays. I wasn’t productive enough. You can say all that. It just wasn’t my time. It surprised me a little bit, took me time to process that a little bit. You think you’re not good enough. Just got to keep going.”
That lack of playing time and production can wear on anyone, especially a heralded recruit at a major program.
“Maybe they don’t need me right here in this moment,” Jackson said. “That was over and over again throughout the whole season. It was like, ‘ok, when am I going to get in?’ The whole season passed. Ok, maybe I don’t belong. Maybe I should do this. But I just put my trust in God. I put my trust in my coaches, my family, and they all told me the same thing. Keep working. Keep doing this. Keep doing that. Here I am now. I feel like I had a better spring than I had last year.”
Jackson played at 225 lbs. as a freshman in 2023. He bulked up to 235 as a sophomore. The thought was that he would be the power back in the offense. Senior Josh Williams checked in at just 5-foot-9 and 210 lbs. Freshman Caden Durham is five pounds lighter than Williams. John Emery Jr. weighs 220 lbs. but he was lost for the season in early September.
With the additional weight, Jackson figured to be unique to the LSU backfield, thus carving out a vital role.
“It definitely was something I had to learn to play with,” Jackson said of the weight. “I’m a big back. So, it was like, ‘ok, put this muscle on. Do this. Do that.’ I still had my speed, but it was the shiftiness (that suffered). It’s bad on the hips, bad on the joints and stuff like that. So, I feel like I lost a step being that heavy. Right now I’m in the process of losing weight, getting back to where I was when I feel like I could move around with my speed but I still had that power to break tackles.”
Back down to 225 lbs., Jackson has regained that burst. He’s still LSU’s most physically imposing back, by far.
Williams is gone, and incoming freshman Harlem Berry is just 185 lbs.
LSU has spent the spring overhauling the running game, and Jackson figures into that plan, even if 2024 was difficult mentally.
“Doubt creeps in,” Jackson said. “Maybe I fit in here, Maybe I don’t. Maybe I don’t belong. You’ve got to stay the course. They recruited me here for a reason. They like my play style. I’m different. I’m not the same back as Caden. I’m not the same back as Harlem. I’m a different back. So, they’re going to feed me plays that fit my play style. That was my mindset.”
When that doubt crept deeper, Jackson leaned on his family. Having them less than 10 miles from Tiger Stadium became a big deal. Many high-level recruits who lose a spot on the depth chart to a freshman decide to move on. The transfer portal opened in December and is again open currently.
Jackson confirmed Thursday that he won’t be entering. He credits that decision to his family.
“My parents, my parents weren’t blessed. My mom has four kids just by herself,” Jackson said. “She’s the hardest working woman I’ve ever met it my life. She didn’t give up. She didn’t resort to anything else to take over the stress. She didn’t do all that. She worked and worked to put me in this position where I can finally take care of her and my other siblings and my future family. That’s my role model, my mother.”
Armed with his mothers strength, Jackson is hopeful that 2025 will bring more success than 2024.
Durham missed the end of spring with an ankle injury that should heal fully in the summer months, but his absence led to an abundance of reps for Jackson. LSU’s running game makeover has featured misdirection and motion.
Jackson took to the changes comfortably, now in his third season with the program.
“Y’all have seen in the spring game, me coming from outside, lined up at wide receiver, coming back in, doing all types of tricky stuff,” Jackson said. “Learning the offense, you learn something every day. Whether it’s what you have going on, what the o-line has going on, what the defense is doing, how to put the o-line on the defense, how to put the backer on the o-line. You learn something new every day. Really, it’s just trying to put the backs in one-n-one opportunities, put them in space.”
Jackson thrives in space. He’s track speed fast and plenty strong. After a season of wondering about his future, he’s focused on the present.
“I had to get way stronger mentally, going through last year,” Jackson said. “Really what it was, I went through my freshman year, and everybody is saying, ‘oh, Kaleb Jackson is the next this, the next that. He’s going to be amazing.’ I kind of got high on cloud 9 thinking, ‘ok, it’s just going to happen.’ If I just keep doing what I’m doing, it’s just going to happen. That’s not how it happens. You’ve got to stay in the film room and keep growing as a player. I can shoot for the stars, but I have to stay grounded, stay where my feet are. I’ve got to be Kaleb Jackson. Play like me, run like me. Be great like me.”
