Tag: kaleb jackson

Brian Kelly says freshman running back Kaleb Jackson is ‘still learning’

Kaleb Jackson has impressed in the brief action he’s seen so far in 2023.

He wasn’t a feature point for the offense in Saturday’s 41-14 win over Mississippi State, but [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] still managed to capture the attention of LSU fans.

The true freshman running back has seen his role increase as the season has progressed, and he saw five carries for 19 yards on Saturday. One of those runs featured Jackson laying a hit on a defender that ultimately went semi-viral.

Speaking to the media Monday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said he’s been impressed with the physical attributes Jackson brings to the table, though he still has a lot to learn after missing his senior year of high school, specifically when it comes to details like pass protection.

“The obvious answer is a physicality, explosiveness, but a young man who is still learning how to play this game… He’s learning how to play the game every time he steps on the field, and he’s terrific to coach,” Kelly said. “The great part about it is he doesn’t have much baggage, he’s learning a lot about the game as we go along… Just teaching him the game and him learning the game is kind of where we’re at with him, but it’s easy to see the raw physical ability.”

LSU has a very deep running back room, but Jackson — who also sees action as a returner — has quickly made it clear that he has too much raw ability to keep off the field, even if he remains a work in progress.

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LSU RB Kaleb Jackson stunned fans by stiff-arming, then absolutely bodying Mississippi State players

Kaleb Jackson is going to be a terror for LSU.

LSU has had a field day with Mississippi State on Saturday in an impressive road performance, and freshman running back Kaleb Jackson embodied that as well as anyone.

On a thunderous first-down run, Jackson showed off his powerful style by stiff-arming one Mississippi State player on the run and ending it by absolutely trucking another one with sheer force of will.

It’s the kind of show-stopping play that shows why the Tigers are going to be a problem this year and why defenders might want to be careful about how they play on Jackson when he totes the rock.

This is a heck of a highlight for the freshman.

 

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette counted himself among those who were stunned by Jackson’s pummeling run.

While LSU is 1-1 on the season, the team looks like it’s equipped to cause plenty of damage this season. With their loss coming to No. 3 Florida State, don’t count out LSU to make the College Football Playoff this season.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

Instant Analysis: Malik Nabers, Jayden Daniels star as LSU blows out Mississippi State in SEC opener

LSU put on a clinic on both sides of the ball in Saturday’s SEC-opening win over the Bulldogs.

LSU reminded the college football world that this team is still very much a threat on Saturday.

Facing Mississippi State in a morning kickoff on the road, the Tigers shrugged off any potential sluggishness. They jumped on the Bulldogs early and never let up, ultimately earning a statement 41-14 win over their SEC West rival.

It was perhaps the best and certainly the most efficient game of [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]’ career as he completed 30 of 34 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns while adding 64 yards and two more scores on the ground. A lot of his production through the air had to do with the play of [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who was seemingly unguardable.

Nabers finished with 13 catches for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns, doing most of that damage in the first half. As far as the rest of the ground game goes, it wasn’t prolific but [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] all had solid contributions, with Williams finding the end zone.

As explosive as the offense was, the defense was just as impressive. LSU pitched a shutout until the final minutes of the second quarter, and even then, Mississippi State never really got things rolling.

The Bulldogs are a far cry from the air raid team we’ve seen in recent years. Will Rogers struggled with efficiency, completing just 11 of 28 passes for 103 yards. Running back Jo’Quavious Marks got his, finishing with 75 yards on just eight carries, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

MSU went 3 of 13 on third downs, and with quick three and outs, LSU established an early two-score lead and took control of the game.

The team also had promising signs in the pass-rushing game with [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], [autotag]Saivion Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] all recording sacks.

LSU begins SEC play 1-0 and will return home next weekend to host Arkansas.

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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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Instant Analysis: LSU drops 72 points in dominating home-opening win over Grambling

The Tigers bounced back in a big way with Saturday night’s 72-10 win over Grambling.

LSU got the bounce-back it was looking for at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night as the team breezed to a declarative 72-10 win over Grambling in its Week 2 home opener, tying for the third-most points scored in a game in program history.

The offense led by [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] had a much more efficient and balanced game than it did in the loss to Florida State. Daniels finished with 269 yards and five touchdowns — a career high — through the air, all of which came in the first half.

Daniels also completed 18 of 24 passes.

[autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] took over to start the second half, and while he wasn’t given the opportunity to do a whole lot, he completed 4 of 6 passes for 48 yards, 20 of which came on one play to [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], and finished a touchdown drive with his legs.

True freshman [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] also saw sporadic action late in the game, though he attempted and completed just a pair of passes for three yards.

Nabers ultimately led the team in receiving with 87 yards and a touchdown on five catches, while it was also another big night for [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who led the team in catches with six for 78 yards while catching a pair of touchdown passes.

The Tigers got a much bigger contribution from their ground game on Saturday night as [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] had 115 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries in his LSU debut after he missed last week’s game. Freshman [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] found the end zone twice while also totaling 62 yards on 11 carries.

[autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] (6 carries, 43 yards) and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] (7 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD) also had solid production on the ground.

Defensively, it was a bit of a sloppy start as the Tigers allowed 259 yards in the first half. They tightened up after that, though, allowing just 61 yards in the second half.

It was another fairly quiet game for [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], who saw more snaps off the edge but managed just one tackle. He did, however, breakup a pass and had a quarterback pressure that caused LSU only interception of the game, which was snagged by [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] on a tip drill.

LSU showed signs of improvement against an inferior opponent, but it will face a tougher test next Saturday when it hits the road to take on Mississippi State in its SEC opener.

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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 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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Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson to return kicks and punts, other special teams notes from Brian Kelly

It’s no secret that LSU was held back by its special teams in 2022.

You didn’t have to watch much LSU football last fall to gather that execution on special teams was a limiting factor.

Those issues reared their head early and often as the Tigers lost in Week 1 against Florida State as the result of a blocked extra point in the final seconds.

After a coaching change (coordinator [autotag]Bill Polian[/autotag] was replaced with [autotag]John Jancek[/autotag], though [autotag]Bob Diaco[/autotag] is currently filling the role), LSU hopes it has those issues fixed in 2023.

Kelly addressed the special teams on Tuesday, announcing that speedy Alabama transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] will return kicks and punts. True freshman running back [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] will be the off-ball returner.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said avoiding miscues will be key for the returners this fall.

“They’ve got to field the ball, they’ve got to be able to do the little things the right way,” Kelly said Monday.

Kelly had positive things to say about the unit in general. Placekicker [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] has apparently had a good camp and seems likely to hold on to his starting spot again. Punter [autotag]Jay Bramblett[/autotag], who was named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award, also received praise.

“We think special teams should and can be a positive for us and influence games,” Kelly said.

If that ultimately proves to be the case, it would be a major boon for an LSU team that was held back by shoddy special teams play in an overall good campaign last fall.

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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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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 26 Kaleb Jackson

Kaleb Jackson is one of two talented freshman running back additions in the 2023 class.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

LSU added a pair of talented running backs in the 2023 class. We’ve already looked at one of them in [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], who was on campus in the spring, and now we’re taking a look at the other in [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], a Baton Rouge native who is a summer addition to the roster.

Kaleb Jackson Preseason Player Profile