Tag: John Emery Jr.

Brian Kelly talks about his stable of running backs

It’s no secret that LSU has a stable full of uber-talented running backs this season.

It’s no secret that LSU has a stable full of uber-talented running backs this season. [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Malachi Lane[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Bradford[/autotag] make up what could be one of the best running back corps in the country.

Having that many talented running backs is all fun and games until it comes time to divvy out the carries among each of them. The Tigers have not run into that as much yet due to injuries and whatever is going on with Emery. We got our first look at Diggs against Grambling last weekend and he looked like he could be the feature back. Here is what [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] had to say about his running backs.

“We’re gonna feature a guy that is feeling it and is, ‘hot’, if you will,” he said. “We have enough depth that we can spell a guy and I think that’s a good thing. I still think that we are in a position to find out who that featured player is but I still think we can play multiple backs and still have the kind of continuity at the position that is necessary.”

We will see how the running back room develops over the season.

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Brian Kelly updates injury report entering Week 3 SEC opener against Mississippi State

The Tigers are getting back to full strength just in time for SEC play.

As the Tigers prepare for their first true road game of the year against Mississippi State in Saturday’s SEC opener, the team is getting back closer to full health.

LSU was missing several players in its first two games, but it should be near peak strength when it faces the Bulldogs in a morning kick in Starkville. On Monday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] updated the injury report heading into Week 3, and it featured just two players, both of whom are expected to play.

[autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], who exited the Grambling game in the first half with what Kelly called an ankle sprain, is probable as is linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], who was also banged up in the win.

[autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] will also return to the field after missing the first two games for unspecified reasons.

A newly healthy LSU team that now also has [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] back in the mix will certainly be a tough out for a Bulldogs team looking for a signature win under coach Zack Arnett,

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Logan Diggs and Armoni Goodwin available against Grambling

LSU’s running back room will get reinforcements on Saturday night.

LSU’s running back room was limited against Florida State. [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], and [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] were all out.

The group is working its way back to full strength, with Diggs and Goodwin set to be available on Saturday.

Kelly said LSU didn’t feel comfortable playing Diggs last week due to his lack of full-speed practice reps.

Diggs’ workload at practice was increased this week and LSU feels good about getting him in there against Grambling before SEC play heats up next week.

It’s still not clear how much we’ll see of Goodwin this week. He’s healthy, but with his injury history, LSU might want to be safe unless he’s at 100%.

You won’t see Emery just yet, but he’s set to return next week.

By the time Emery returns, LSU will have twice the amount of options at RB that it did against Florida State. It comes at a needed time after the run game struggled on Sunday night.

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Brian Kelly releases Week 2 injury report, updates John Emery Jr.’s status

Armoni Goodwin has been upgraded to questionable after missing the opener, but John Emery Jr. will miss another game this weekend.

If there is one bright spot the Tigers can take away from Sunday night’s 45-24 loss to Florida State in Orlando, it’s that the team emerged entirely healthy.

There were no new injuries that coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] reported to the media this week. Running back [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], who was listed as doubtful last week and indeed missed the opener, has been upgraded to questionable as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, receiver and return specialist [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] suffered an unspecified injury in the loss to the Seminoles but was listed by Kelly as probable entering the Grambling game.

Running back [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], who returned to the team in camp after spending most of the offseason focusing on academics, was unavailable for the game against Florida State and will be sidelined once again this weekend, though Kelly neglected to go into detail on the reasoning or a potential timetable for his return.

LSU should be close to full strength as it looks to fix the flaws from last week in Saturday night’s home opener against an in-state HBCU opponent in the Tigers come to town.

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Brian Kelly addresses Logan Diggs’ absence against Florida State

It seems Logan Diggs was not 100% as he was held out in what Brian Kelly called a “coach’s decision.”

Outside of Jayden Daniels’ solid production on the ground, LSU’s running backs failed to make much of an impact against a strong Florida State defensive front in Sunday night’s 45-24 loss to Florida State.

Disregarding a 35-yard run by [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] — the group’s only explosive carry of the night — LSU’s running back room totaled just 14 yards on 11 carries.

There were some key players missing, however. [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] was out as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury, while [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] was unavailable for unspecified reasons.

However, one surprise was that [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], a Notre Dame transfer and late addition to the roster, didn’t suit up. After the game, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] addressed Diggs’ absence and the play of the group, in general.

“Well, I mean, everybody is searching for balance in the running game,” he said. “So we didn’t have the kind of balance that we needed. Logan Diggs was a coach’s decision. I don’t know quite whether he’s a hundred percent and able to practice at the level that we need him to quite yet.

Yeah, I mean, look, everybody is looking for that balance in the running game. You saw what we tried to do. We tried to run the football in those very important downs, and we weren’t as effective. And we are going to go back and we are going to work on it, and we are going to continue to be diligent in those areas because we’ve got to be better at it. So we’ve got a minimum of 11 more games, and I’m going to tell you now that we are going to be better and we are going to commit ourselves to that.”

Though he wasn’t listed on the injury report during the week, it seems the coaches saw something that caused them to scratch him from the active roster.

LSU will hope it can find more production from its run game beyond Daniels once the running back room is back closer to full strength in the coming weeks.

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Brian Kelly updates injury report Thursday heading into Florida State game

Armoni Goodwin is officially out for this one, while Kimo Makane’ole was upgraded to probable.

Coach Brian Kelly is updating LSU’s injury reporting protocol to be more in line with that at the NFL level this season, and on Monday, we got our first injury report in the updated style.

Kelly provided additional information on the players currently dealing with injuries during his post-practice press conference on Thursday. We already know the Tigers will be without [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag], who is suspended, and [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], who is “unavailable” according to Kelly until Week 3.

Here’s the full injury report provided by Kelly on Thursday. Of note, backup offensive lineman [autotag]Kimo Makane’ole[/autotag] was upgraded from questionable to probable.

  • RB [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] (Out)
  • RB [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] (Probable)
  • OL [autotag]Kimo Makane’ole[/autotag] (Probable)

We knew that Goodwin likely wouldn’t be able to go in this one. He’s been limited in camp after recovering from a season-ending injury last fall, and he continues to deal with a hamstring injury.

Kelly seems optimistic that he will return soon, but in the meantime, LSU will turn to a hopefully healthy Williams and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] as well as transfer [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] and freshmen [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag].

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Brian Kelly addresses John Emery Jr.’s status with team

John Emery Jr. remains in good standing with the university and will be able to return in Week 3, per Brian Kelly.

[autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] has the potential to be an X-factor in LSU’s running back room this season.

The former five-star spent most of the offseason away from the team focusing on academics, but he made his return to the practice field in the middle of fall camp.

That’s why it raised eyebrows when coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] conspicuously (and vaguely) announced that Emery will be unavailable for the season-opener against Florida State on Sunday night.

Kelly reiterated that Emery is in good standing with the program but said that going into further detail would be a violation of the “Buckley Amendment.” Otherwise known as the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, the law governs access to educational records by public entities.

However, Kelly was able to say that Emery will be able to return to the field in Week 3.

It’s not exactly clear what’s keeping the veteran running back off the field at the moment, but it seems he will be able to make his season debut in Week 3 at Mississippi State.

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Brian Kelly says RB John Emery Jr. ‘unavailable’ for Week 1 against Florida State

Brian Kelly will be without one of his running backs for the season opener against Florida State on Sunday.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will be without one of his running backs for the season opener against Florida State on Sunday. Kelly announced Wednesday morning that [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] will be unavailable to play this weekend.

Emery was not able to participate in any team activities this spring and summer due to academic issues. He returned to the team midway through fall camp after he apparently met the expectations the team set for him.

It is unclear if the academics continue to be an issue for him, but nevertheless, Emery will not play Sunday night against Florida State.

Emery, a fifth-year senior, was going to be vying for playing time against a loaded running back room. [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Bradford[/autotag]. With Goodwin already ruled doubtful for Sunday’s game, the onus was placed on other running backs to produce.

This issue just puts Emery even further behind the eight ball if he wants to show that he is the guy. Now, he is giving one of the younger guys a chance to step up and make a great first impression on the coaches.

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Is Kaleb Jackson LSU’s next star running back?

LSU could have its next rushing star with freshman Kaleb Jackson

LSU’s running back room is flush with veteran options.

[autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag],[autotag] Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], and [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] have 17 combined years under their belt. [autotag]Tre Bradford[/autotag], who had a cup of tea with Oklahoma after beginning his career at LSU in 2020 is back with the team too.

LSU lacks a proven star there, but there’s plenty of depth and experience.

But in fall camp, it’s a true freshman stealing the show.

[autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], a blue-chip recruit who was top 10 overall in the state and top 10 nationally at his position, impressed in Saturday’s scrimmage.

He took a swing pass from [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], made a couple of guys miss and turned on the jets to take it to the house.

Jackson also notched an 18-yard touchdown run on the day and was tracked reaching speeds over 21 miles per hour.

For a guy who weighs in at 225, that’s elite speed.

From a physicality and athletic standpoint, Jackson looks to have everything you want in a running back. He’s shifty and can make defenders miss, but he also has the size to run through tackles.

That size paired with his pass-catching ability should make him a formidable option on passing downs too.

Expect LSU to stick with its veterans early in the year. Cain and Williams have the trust of the coaching staff right now, so it would make sense if they got the bulk of the snaps against Florida State.

But if Brian Kelly’s 2022 at LSU taught us anything, it’s that he’s going to get guys that can play in the game, even if it means making some schematic adjustments.

It’s early and Jackson will have to keep it up to chip away at the workload slated for the older guys, but expect to see Jackson contribute for LSU at some point this year.

He has the tools to be a star.

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Noah Cain and Josh Williams named to Doak Walker Award watch list

A pair of LSU running backs were named to the Doak Walker Award watch list.

LSU running backs [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] were named to the Doak Walker Award watchlist, the award annually given to the best running back in the country.

LSU’s running back room is crowded, but Cain and Williams have emerged as veteran leaders.

Cain, a Louisiana native who began his career at Penn State, transferred to LSU prior to 2022. Still working back from an injury, he saw his workload increase over the course of the year. He was LSU’s No. 1 back in spring practice as other running backs missed time.

Williams was a former walk-on who emerged as LSU’s most trusted rusher last year. He came up in big moments, picking up key first downs against Alabama and leading LSU’s offense at Arkansas.

With [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] transferring in and [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] rejoining the team, it’s anyone’s guess how the carries will shake out this fall. LSU will likely take a running back-by-committee approach.

But Cain and Williams both have the trust of the team and coaching staff. Expect to see a decent bit of both guys, especially early in the year.

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