Brian Kelly evaluates John Emery Jr.'s showing off of knee injury

John Emery Jr. has retaken the field following the ACL surgery that cut his 2023 season short.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly explained where the 2019 five-star recruit is at heading into the bulk of fall camp. By Kelly’s account, the veteran tailback is taking it rep-by-rep at this point in his recovery process.

“Talking to [RB coach] Frank [Wilson], we wanted to do two things,” Kelly said. “We wanted to put John in a position where the reps mattered and mattered in the sense of he had to cut, he had to be stressed.

“He’s cleared, so we wanted every rep that he got to be, maybe this is a bad analogy, but a high-leverage rep, if you will. We didn’t want him out there, you know, just blocking or taking a rep that didn’t force him to put his foot in the ground and accelerate.”

The plan, Kelly said, is to limit starting running back Josh Williams throughout fall camp while Emery gets his feet back under him. This way, it ensures Williams will be fresh for the season opener while Emery gets to claim some much-needed live reps.

“We want to really stress him in the sense of making sure he feels great with that knee, because if he feels great, he’s fearless,” Kelly added.

He appeared in seven games for LSU this past season, totaling 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 attempts. His ACL tear in Novemeber against Florida would cut his season short, and it remains to be seen how much he’ll be used this season as he works his way back.

The previous season he was able to make an even greater splash, appearing in 11 games, rushing for 375 yards and six touchdowns while adding 13 receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the passing game. That was his first year back on the field after sitting out the entire 2021 season due to academic reasons.

Now, Emery will look to make a splash in 2024 as the Tigers gear up for their season opener against the USC Trojans in a blockbuster Week 1 matchup in Las Vegas. After a tune-up game vs. Nicholls in Week 2, they’ll begin SEC playin in Week 3 with a road trip against South Carolina.

Key matchups against UCLA, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are all huge opportunities for Emery to solidify his return as a staple in the Tigers’ backfield. However, he must remain healthy first.