John Emery suffers a torn ACL in win over Florida
LSU football running back John Emery‘s career with the Tigers has likely come to an end following an injury just yards from the end zone.
In Saturday’s 52-35 win over Florida, Emery juked a Gators defender to get free, but the senior went down just yards from a touchdown after a final juke attempt left him clutching his knee.
On Monday, LSU head coach Brian Kelly said Emery will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
In seven games this season, Emery had 23 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 58 yards.
A look back on Emery’s run at LSU
During four seasons on the field for the Tigers, the New Orleans native and former Destrehan star totaled 37 games played, five starts, 213 rushing attempts, 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns.
He also caught 36 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his combined all-purpose totals to 1,382 yards and 16 touchdowns. Emery scored at least one touchdown in all four seasons he played.
Emery was on roster for two SEC West Championships, an SEC Championship and a National Championship. During his freshman season in 2019, Emery logged 39 carries for 188 yards and four touchdowns across 10 games played.
Sticking with the Tigers through road bumps
Emery signed with LSU in 2019 as a five-star and the No. 2 running back on the On3 Industry Rankings.
He made an immediate splash coming off the bench as a backup running back on the 2019 National Championship team.
In Year 2, the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Emery played an even bigger role as the backup to starting running back Tyrion Davis-Price, closing out the season with 75 carries for 378 yards and three touchdowns on the ground while catching 14 passes for 73 yards.
Davis-Price returned to the roster in 2021, but the NCAA ruled Emery out for the entire season as a result of academics. In total, it was a 15-game suspension that spanned the entire 2021 schedule and the first two games of the 2022 season.
During that stretch, the Tigers went through a coaching change as LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward moved from Ed Orgeron to Brian Kelly.
After sitting out the first three games of the Kelly era while wrapping up the NCAA’s academic suspension, Emery stepped into a big role for the Tigers across Brian Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge.
Emery appeared in 11 games, making starts against UAB and in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. During the 2022 season, Emery rushed for 375 yards and six touchdowns on 76 carries and caught 13 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns, setting a career-high with three rushing touchdowns at Texas A&M.
Emery missed spring practices as he wrapped up an internship, then missed the opening two games of the 2023 season before joining the team for the SEC opener at Mississippi State in Week 3.
