LSU RB John Emery Jr. enters the NCAA Transfer Portal

LSU running back John Emery Jr. has entered his name into the transfer portal.

Over the last five years in Baton Rouge, Emery Jr. appeared in 37 games, including five starts. He arrived in 2019 and was a freshman on the undefeated, national title-winning team. He has been with the Tigers ever since in playing under both Ed Orgeron and then Brian Kelly.

In his career, Emery Jr. has rushed for 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns on 213 carries. He has also caught 36 passes for 320 yards and a pair of receiving scores.

After missing all of 2021 due to academic reasons, Emery Jr. returned to have his best season in 2022. During those 11 games, he rushed 76 times for 375 yards and six touchdowns while also catching 13 passes for 129 yards and both of his reception scores.

As a fifth-year senior this past fall, Emery Jr. ran for 121 yards and a score on 23 attempts. However, after seven games, his season, and now time with the Tigers, came to an end after tearing his ACL in November.

Emery Jr., a Louisiana native, played high school football at Destrehan High School. He was a five-star prospect there and the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 RB in the class behind only Trey Sanders (Alabama, TCU). He was also the No. 2 player out of the state after just CB Derek Stingley (LSU, Houston Texans).

Emery Jr. and Stingley were the top-two prospects in the No. 5 recruiting class for LSU in 2019. They were two of the group’s three five-star talents, along with LB Marcel Brooks, out of their 25 commitments.

Now, five years later, Emery Jr. is one of 22 transfers to leave LSU through the portal this offseason. Offensive players make up half of that group, including four backs in him, Logan Diggs (Ole Miss), Kevontre Bradford (North Texas), and Armoni Goodwin (UAB).

As for additions, the Tigers have brought in seven transfers to make up the No. 53 class per On3’s 2024 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. While three of those are contributors for the offense, none will be adding to the run game. One is a quarterback in AJ Swann (Vanderbilt) while the others are a pair of receivers in Zavion Thomas (Mississippi State) and CJ Daniels (Liberty).

Emery Jr. contributed a lot in his time in Death Valley. Now, for his sixth season in college, he’ll be doing so elsewhere following his decision today to enter the portal.

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.