LSU RB John Emery enters NCAA transfer portal

LSU running back John Emery has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. He will have one season of eligbility remaining.

Emery has been on the LSU roster since 2019, where he’s been a steady contributor to the Tigers offense, and was final member of the 2019 national championship team remaining on the roster from six years ago. In that time, he’s totaled 223 carries for 1,123 yards and 14 touchdowns.

His eligibility is a unique case. He didn’t play during the 2021 season because he was academically ineligible and due to NCAA rules at the time, he was allowed an extra season of eligbility thanks to the pandemic. However, Emery suffered a season-ending injury after the season opener which required him to have surgery on a torn ACL. He was granted a medical redshirt and allowed one year of eligbility in 2025. Now, he will play it out somewhere other than his home state school.

Emery’s most productive years in Baton Rouge were during the 2020 and 2022 seasons. He logged nearly identical numbers in those years, rushing for 75 and 76 attempts, respectively, to go along with 378 and 375 rushing yards as well and nine total touchdowns.

In his final appearance with the Tigers, Emery took 10 carries for 61 yards against the USC Trojans before going down with his injury. The next time he’s back on a football field, however, he’ll have a new uniform on.

“We will be supportive in any way we can,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said during the spring slate, revealing that they would be moving on from Emery at the running back position. “We are set with where we are with the running back position, but love John, and we will be here to help and support him.”

Before college, Emery was a five-star recruit according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 12 overall player in the 2019 class, and the No. 2 overall running back in the cycle.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

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.