Tag: kaleb jackson

LSU Spring Football Outlook: The running backs

Here’s where LSU’s running back room stands entering spring practice.

Spring practice is the first real sign we’re moving away from 2023 and heading for the 2024 season.

At LSU, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is quickly approaching his third spring practice with the Tigers.

Throughout the spring, I’ll be taking a look at how LSU stacks up at every position. There’s still plenty to figure out at this point, some of which we’ll learn in the spring, but we know where LSU stands personnel-wise at these spots.

Here, we move on to the running backs. With [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] gone, more pressure will be put on the backfield to produce in the run game. Depth is a concern right now, but there’s potential. Here’s how the RB room stacks up.

LSU return specialist Gregory Clayton Jr. declares for 2024 NFL draft

Gregory Clayton Jr. has been LSU’s primary punt returner the last two seasons.

The Tigers are losing a veteran special teams standout to the 2024 NFL draft.

On Wednesday, senior receiver and return specialist [autotag]Gregory Clayton Jr.[/autotag] announced that he would be moving on after two seasons at LSU. A Louisiana native and transfer from UTSA, Clayton emerged as the Tigers’ top punt returner during his first season in 2022.

Over the past two seasons, he’s appeared in 25 games and attempted 15 punt returns for 101 yards as well as two kickoff returns for 26 yards.

I”d like to thank LSU Tiger fans for all their support and coaches for giving me an opportunity to represent my state and wear the purple and gold for the second season,” he said in a statement. “With that being said, I would like to announce that I will be declaring for the 2024 NFL draft!

“Louisiana State University will always have a special place in my heart. No matter where the future takes me, LSU will always be home. Geaux Tigers!!”

With Clayton moving on, LSU will likely turn to [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] to hold down the returner spots in 2024.

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LSU RB Noah Cain declares for 2024 NFL draft

Another one of LSU’s running backs is moving on as Noah Cain is off to the NFL.

Another one of LSU’s running backs has decided to seek greener pastures. [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] has decided to enter his name into the NFL draft.

The senior running back from Baton Rouge appeared in 27 games during his LSU career and had 113 carries for 590 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Cain spent the first three years of his career at Happy Valley, where he was the star running back for the Penn State Nittany Lions. With the loss of Cain, LSU has now lost four players — Cain, [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Bradford[/autotag] — from last year’s running back room. The Tigers will look to a lot of young running backs to build the future.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will lean on [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag] and [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], as well as potentiall Josh Williams, who is yet to make an NFL decision, to tote the load for the Tigers in a tough SEC schedule.

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LSU running back Logan Diggs enters the transfer portal

Logan Diggs led all LSU running backs with 653 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

LSU’s running back depth will take a hit in 2024 as [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports.

News broke of Diggs’ decision on Friday, but with the deadline to enter passing on Tuesday, that choice would have been officially made earlier this week at the latest.

A transfer addition this offseason from Notre Dame, Diggs provided a major boost to a running game that struggled outside of [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] in 2022. While Daniels led the team in rushing once again with more than 1,100 yards, Diggs led all running backs in 2023 with 653 yards and seven touchdowns on 119 carries while appearing in 10 games.

Diggs will have one more year of eligibility at his final stop.

It’s a significant loss for the running back room, which is likely set to return at least one veteran still in [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag]. True freshmen [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], who redshirted, and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] should see an expanded role, and 2024 signee [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] will likely also have an impact.

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Instant Analysis: LSU overcomes early deficit to beat Wisconsin in Garrett Nussmeier’s first start

Garrett Nussmeier threw for nearly 400 yards as the Tigers held on to win a ReliaQuest Bowl shootout.

LSU found itself in an early hole against the Wisconsin Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl, but after a comeback effort, the Tigers survived to win a 35-31 shootout in Garrett Nussmeier’s first start in an LSU uniform.

The defense was the Achilles heel all season, and it was a rough start on Monday for that unit. The Badgers scored two first-quarter touchdowns to jump out to a 14-0 lead, and LSU gave up 146 yards in the first quarter while its first three drives stalled out.

The Tigers managed to erase that deficit before half, however, with an eight-play, 60-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a handoff to linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] at the goal line. Nussmeier would lead another scoring drive as [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] found the end zone to tie the game with less than 90 seconds to play in the second quarter.

They couldn’t hold that tie, however, allowing a quick go-ahead touchdown drive, and a Nussmeier interception on the ensuing drive gave them a chance to add to the lead, which — fortunately for the Tigers — they were not able to do as the Badgers took a 21-14 lead to the locker room.

LSU gave up a touchdown drive to kick off the third quarter, but the offense responded as Nussmeier found [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] with a 38-yard touchdown pass to give Thomas his 16th score of the year.

After another impressive throw to the corner of the end zone to [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], the Tigers tied the game at 28.

The Badgers retook the lead with a field goal, but with the quarter winding down, Nussmeier made a couple of big connections to lead the Tigers 98 yards down the field in three minutes to score a go-ahead touchdown with 3:08 to play.

Wisconsin managed to drive all the way down to the LSU 19, but the drive stalled and the offense went backward as the Tigers earned a game-sealing stop on 4th and 25.

Nussmeier had a bit of a slow start, but he settled in very nicely to finish with 395 passing yards and three touchdowns on 31 of 45 passing. His favorite target was [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who had eight catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] made the start and set LSU’s career receiving yards record, but he would sit the rest of the game after achieving the record.

Nussmeier gave the Tigers a glimpse at what the future could hold on offense, and it’s bright even with Daniels, Nabers and Thomas heading off to the NFL.

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These 5 LSU players are poised for big performances in the ReliaQuest Bowl

With the bowl not counting against redshirts, some young players will get the chance to step up.

LSU will be taking on the Wisconsin Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 1st. We will get a chance to take a look at the future of the program as this game does not count towards burning a redshirt for any freshmen on the team.

Five guys who I think could have a big game against the Badgers are [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag], [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]DaShawn Womack[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag]. Those are five guys that are the future of LSU football and they are all poised for a breakout game.

Let’s take a closer look at the five aforementioned players.

LSU running back enters the transfer portal

LSU’s deep running back room took a hit on Monday.

An LSU running back has entered his name into the transfer portal.

[autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], a junior from Birmingham, Alabama, has suffered injuries during his freshman and sophomore seasons, and he hasn’t touched the field this year for the Tigers.

LSU has turned to [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] to carry the load in the backfield. Goodwin is eligible to be redshirted this fall since he has not appeared in any games, though it remains to be seen if that will happen.

During his two years on the Bayou, Goodwin appeared in 13 games, making three starts, and he carried the ball 61 times for 332 yards and five touchdowns. He had a much better season as a sophomore than as a freshman which led to Goodwin being a prime candidate for playing time this year but he has yet to see the field.

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Injury Report: LSU RB Logan Diggs DOUBTFUL vs. Georgia State on Saturday

Logan Diggs is unlikely to suit up for the second week in a row.

As LSU prepares to face Georgia State in what it hopes will be a tuneup game on Saturday night, it looks like the team will be shorthanded at running back once again.

Starting tailback [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], who missed last week’s game against Florida with an upper-body injury, was listed as doubtful to play in Saturday’s game against the Panthers by coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] on Thursday.

Diggs, a transfer addition from Notre Dame, has been a revelation for the Tigers’ run game this season. He leads LSU running backs with 113 carries and 635 yards, and he’s added six touchdowns on the year.

Assuming Diggs isn’t able to play, LSU will then likely turn to [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], as well as true freshmen [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag]. [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], who saw quite a bit of action in Diggs’ absence last week, was lost early in the game with a torn ACL that will cost him the remainder of the season.

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BREAKING: LSU RB John Emery Jr. out for season with torn ACL

It’s a disappointing end to the season for the fifth-year senior.

The Tigers suffered a major blow to the running back room in Saturday’s win over Florida as [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] exited with what [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said he feared would be a significant injury.

That turned out to be the case as Emery suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season, Kelly said on Monday. Emery was seeing action alongside [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] in the absence of [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], who missed the game and is questionable heading into Saturday’s game against Georgia State.

It’s a disappointing end to the season for the fifth-year senior who has had a winding journey in his time at LSU.

A former five-star running back, Emery saw rotational action in his first two seasons before missing the entirety of 2021 due to academic suspension. He was suspended to start both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and he was away from the team for much of the past offseason focusing on academics before returning in the fall.

Without Emery, LSU will turn to Williams, [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] and true freshmen [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag].

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Injury News: LSU running back Logan Diggs not expected to play vs. Florida

The Tigers’ top running back is unlikely to play on Saturday night.

LSU fans got the news they were waiting for on Saturday morning as it was announced that quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who was listed as probable with a head injury earlier in the week, will make the start against Florida.

It wasn’t all positive news on the injury front, however. Running back [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] was listed as questionable on Thursday with an upper-body injury, and on Friday, his status was downgraded to doubtful.

Saturday morning, On3’s Matt Zenitz reported that Diggs is not expected to play.

Without Diggs available, LSU would instead turn to [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], as well as possibly true freshman [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] and veteran [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], as well as production on the ground from Daniels, who led the team in rushing last week against Alabama.

Diggs has been a nice addition to this offense, which struggled to find production on the ground outside of Daniels last fall. If he’s unable to go, LSU will likely have to lean more heavily on the passing game than it already has been.

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