John Emery 'has a path back' at LSU after missing spring while focusing on academics

The LSU football team has concluded its spring practice, and it did so without running back John Emery, who was asked to focus on his academic work rather than gracing the gridiron.

“We have not ruled out John Emery for returning. I think I’ve made it pretty clear that John has a path back, but it’s one that is really dictated by what he does academically,” Kelly said. “So, look, we have not made any misleading statements. We love him. But we’re putting academics first and foremost, and he’s got to take care of that first.

Emery is quite the weapon when available.

In three seasons of work for the Tigers, Emery has logged 190 carries for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s also caught 33 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tigers will be looking to take the next step after a wildly successful first season under Kelly’s direction in 2022.

LSU won 10 games and won the SEC West, earning the right to take on eventual national champion Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Tigers return many of the players from last year’s squad that made it possible.

Potentially getting John Emery back at some point would be a big boost.

LSU preparing to have target on its back

One thing Brian Kelly pointed out after the spring game was that LSU is in a very different situation entering 2023 than it was in going into 2022.

Significantly different.

“As I told them, no longer are we going to sneak up on anybody,” Kelly said. “We’re the SEC West champs. So everybody now has got their eye toward LSU, so make sure you take that into your training.”

To that end, Kelly broke down what the schedule will look like for players over the next several weeks.

“First of all these guys got to get academically their work done, all that,” Kelly said. “But we still have a couple weeks before we go into discretionary time, so they’ll have some work in the weight room. Then it’s active rest for May and then get after it in June.”

The goal once the team reconvenes is clear. Work harder than ever to become a championship contender.

The second-year LSU coach believes his team learned the first steps of how to do that a year ago.

“I think they know how to win games,” Brian Kelly said. “You’ve got to play mistake-free. We had one penalty, really, with the second group. And they understand that, look, the little things matter. I think that they understand how that, at the end of the day, if you can get yourself to the fourth quarter with the belief that you’re going to win games you’ve got a chance to win.

“So if you eliminate all the little things, the mistakes, self-inflicted wounds, if you will, you’ve got a chance to win football games.”