Brian Kelly explains decision to move Ju'Juan Johnson to running back

LSU has been hit by injuries in the backfield, but that has simply created opportunities for versatile players like freshman Ju’Juan Johnson.

Days after LSU veteran running back John Emery suffered a season-ending knee injury, the Tigers moved the talented young safety over to the offensive side of the ball. He’ll be used as a multi-faceted threat offensively.

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“Well I think first of all he was going to play on all of our special teams,” coach Brian Kelly explained. “And so it was important that we got him involved on one side or the other, whether it was defense or offense. With the way we’re playing our defensive structure he wasn’t going to get a lot of playing time there.”

No point in letting a talented player sit idly on the bench when he could be used elsewhere.

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So Kelly and company shifted plans and brought Ju’Juan Johnson over to the offensive side of the ball. There, the Tigers believe they can turn the former high school quarterback into a real weapon.

“We knew on offense there were enough roles that we could get him involved,” Kelly said. “So he’s going to play some running back, some slot receiver. He can do a lot of different things and we can craft an offensive structure around him. And what we’ve found out is he picks things up really well.”

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In just one game, Ju’Juan Johnson already offered glimpses at what he could do. He saw several snaps against Nicholls, contributing three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.

To be able to score in his debut for the offense has to be a confidence-booster.

It might not be exactly as planned for the Tigers, but LSU did know it wanted to get Johnson involved if at all possible.

“So it was a decision that we were going to play him as a freshman, he was already involved in a lot of special teams, and he was able to pick things up really quickly,” Kelly said.