Top 10 RB Caden Durham is back on LSU's campus

The LSU football staff is hosting a star-studded list of recruits in Baton Rouge this weekend, and Texas four-star running back Caden Durham has already arrived for his multi-day stay.

Durham, who got to Baton Rouge on Thursday, will be at LSU’s Bayou Splash recruiting event on Friday.

Durham is LSU’s lone running back target in the 2024 class, and the Tigers have now hosted the four-star for back-to-back visits after he took in an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge at the end of June.

He’s set to announce a college decision on August 25, the same day as Duncanville’s season opener against South Oak Cliff.

With a double-digit offer list, and plenty of programs still pushing for a potential commitment, where do things stand for one of the nation’s best running back prospects?

Teams jockeying for position with a decision date set

Durham made official visits to Texas A&M, UTSA and Oklahoma in June, giving each team a closer look in the summer ahead of his senior season.

Durham also set a tentative visit to Alabama for September 8, and plans are still in place for an LSU official visit at some point before December’s Early Signing Period.

“It’s going good right now,” he said. “I can’t complain. I’m just taking it day by day and week by week.

“(My recruitment) started this January, really. It was kind of late for me because I was a late-bloomer, but it really jumped off in January. I started football at six (years old). I just kept on playing. Then I moved to Duncanville my sophomore year, and it blew up from there.”

Oklahoma is the program that’s gotten Durham to campus the most over the past year, with LSU next up on that list. The Sooners currently hold the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) lead, followed by the the Tigers.

LSU has Durham’s attention after making him priority No. 1

To this point, LSU has not pressed for any 2024 running backs beyond Durham.

He’s made three visits to campus since January, including a recent unofficial visit at the end of June – which came just before the NCAA Dead Period kicked in.

“LSU, I like the environment and the people,” he said. “Everybody is always happy and showing love. I went to a breakfast place, and (fans) were talking to me like they knew me. Everyone was always showing love.”

The relationship he’s built with LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson has been paramount in regards to the chances the Tigers have to reel in the Top 10 running back on the On3 Industry Rankings.

“Coach Frank, that’s my guy,” he said. “He built the most trust in me. I can call him up for anything, and he’s got me. He can walk me through anything.”

While the Sooners currently hold the On3 RPM lead, Durham said he’s not counting out any team as he continues to mull over his decision ahead of his announcement in late-August.

For the Tigers, there’s still an open path to potentially landing Durham as the running back addition to the 2024 class.

“LSU, it’s LSU,” he said. “Can’t nothing go wrong going to LSU. The proof is in the pudding. You see it. If you go to LSU, you have a high chance to go to the NFL. If you want to go to the NFL, why not go to LSU?”

Track-and-field will come into play for Durham

Durham is one of the fastest running backs in America, and he clocked personal bests this spring with a 10.25 100-meter dash and a 21.12 200-meter dash.

He’s being courted by multiple track programs, including both LSU and Oklahoma. Durham’s mother was a member of the Oklahoma track-and-field program during her time in Norman, while the LSU track staff has turned up the heat to assist with the football team’s push.

On Durham’s visit in June, LSU’s track-and-field staff met with the Top 100 prospect and laid out a path for how he could be a member of both the football and track teams in college.

For Durham, the chance to continue sprinting at the college level is a key piece to his recruitment.

“It’s mainly the 100,” he said of plans to run track in college. “I can do the 200, but I am mainly the 100. Then I can run the 4×1.”