John Emery Jr. announces intention to withdraw from NCAA transfer portal, return to LSU

John Emery Jr. is planning to withdraw from the NCAA transfer portal and return to LSU, he announced via Instagram. He entered the portal in April, but is now planning to be back with the Tigers for another season.

Emery appeared in seven games for LSU this past season, totaling 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 attempts. He suffered a torn ACL against Florida in November, though, and missed the rest of the season as a result.

Emery’s biggest season at LSU came in 2022 when he appeared 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.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

John Emery played high school football at Destrahan (La.) High School, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. After entering the portal, he became the No. 41-ranked running back in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

Emery was one of 22 LSU players to enter the portal this year, and the Tigers have added eight players from the portal ahead of the 2024 season. That includes former Liberty wide receiver CJ Daniels, who came in as the No. 98 overall player and 18-ranked wide receiver in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

Emery entered the transfer portal at the tail end of the spring transfer window, which was open just 15 days from April 16-30 – a crammed period that could reshape the 2024 college football offseason. The portal tool launched in 2018 to allow athletes to be more involved in the process of transferring. Athletes must notify institutions of their intent to transfer. Each school’s compliance team has 48 hours to put a name into the portal.

Under previous guidance, graduate transfers could transfer at any time. However, the NCAA announced new legislation that said they, too, had to provide notification to their compliance team by May 1.

“Due to the timing of the adoption of Proposal No. 2024-5, postgraduate student-athletes in football, women’s ice hockey, rife, skiing, women’s swimming and diving and indoor track and field have until May 1, 2024, to provide written notice of transfer in order to be entered into the transfer portal before the start of the 2024-25 academic year,” the memo stated.