Brian Kelly shares LSU's new plan at running back in 2024

Just days after once again showing that top-end talent he’s always had in LSU’s season opening game, John Emery tore his ACL in practice, sending a shock through the Tigers’ roster and staff.

The injury signaled Emery’s second ACL tear in 12 months and ended his sixth year of eligibility after just one game.

“He was devastated,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “He knew in his heart what happened because it had happened before. You just feel sick about what happened to John. Sometimes you think about this and just wonder how can this be fair to this poor kid? He’s overcome so many obstacles and he’s in a non-contact situation and he sticks his foot in the ground and he tears his knee up. It’s just so disappointing. Him and Princeton Malbrue had successful surgeries today. John has overcome so much and we’re so proud of him and he’ll get his degree and he’ll be successful in whatever is next with him.”

With Emery sidelined, LSU’s running back room dropped down to just three scholarship players available with Josh Williams, Kaleb Jackson and Caden Durham. The limitations of the run game were a focal point for fans and media the past few days after the loss to USC, but now the problem is not just finding ways to run the ball successfully, but having enough bodies to keep everyone fresh.

Durham is the first one added to the mix for LSU. As a true freshman from Duncanville, Texas, Durham was a top five running back in the 2024 class and came to Baton Rouge with ample expectations and now, he gets to be thrown into the fire early and often.

“He’ll be involved. He had a good week,” Kelly said of Durham. “We try to tailor the offense around them and give them plays they’re really comfortable with and set the offense accordingly. We feel good about where we’re at, obviously we’d love to have John moving forward but that’s not the case. Maybe we’ll investigate to see if there’s another candidate for that position, but that’s where we’re at right now.”

In addition to Durham, there’s another freshman set to contribute to the running back room in case of emergency, and that’s defensive back Ju’Juan Johnson. The Lafayette native was an outstanding athlete in high school and one of the best high school players in the state on both sides of the ball. Now, he’s getting carries with the running backs after a strong fall camp at the STAR position on defense.

“We moved Ju’Juan Johnson to running back. He’s getting carries this week and I think he’s going to win the Heisman,” Kelly said joking. “He gives us the fourth back and gives us balance back there. He’s an exciting player and we felt like we could shuffle things around on the defensive side of the ball and get him involved. There’s a learning curve, but I think he can do some things for us this weekend.” 

With Johnson as the fourth player in LSU’s running back room, there’s enough bodies there for the Tigers, but now it’s about producing without Emery moving forward. The offensive line took some flack,the playcalling was criticized, and now we’ll see how the Tigers respond this weekend against Nicholls and if LSU can set the tone early and often on the ground.