Nobody likes waiting for things — especially in the SEC, where patience is a rare commodity.
For the last few years now, LSU fans have been waiting for running back John Emery to break out. The former five-star and top-15 overall recruit has shown flashes but has yet to cement himself as a difference-maker.
Emery’s time at LSU has been anything but a smooth ride. In early 2020, it was reported that he had an operation done to correct his vision. Emery had been playing legally blind in one eye since his early high school days.
Then came the pandemic, which disrupted life for everyone, but Emery and LSU Football as a whole may have been affected as much as anyone across college sports.
Emery was ruled academically ineligible to compete in 2021. As part of his defense, Emery’s lawyer stated that Emery’s step-father spent a long time in the hospital, largely due to issues from COVID-19 and that in 2020, Emery’s grandmother had passed away.
LSU and Emery applied for a waiver on these grounds to void the academic suspension, but it was upheld and Emery did not see the field in what was supposed to be his breakout year.
Emery is back with the Tigers, and supposedly, he’s ready to go.
He has averaged 4.9 yards on 115 carries to this point. His best game came against Vanderbilt in 2020, in which he ran for 103 yards on just 12 attempts while also catching three passes for 21 yards.
According to Pro Football Focus, Emery was fifth in the SEC in yards after contact per attempt in 2020. Emery did that while also showing breakaway speed. This is a running back that has all the tools necessary. It wouldn’t take one long to realize why Emery was a five-star prospect when watching his highlights.
In his freshman year, Emery was one of the most elusive backs in the conference, granted it was a limited sample size.
When Emery has played, it’s tough to find something to knock him with. Maybe he hasn’t shown himself a ton as a receiver, but he’s never been asked to or been put in an offense meant to emphasize that.
Coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock are two offensive minds that have put a lot of emphasis on the running back over the years. In 2021 under Denbrock at Cincinnati, Jerome Ford let the American Athletic Conference in rushing. In 2019, Cincinnati back Michael Warren posted a 1,263-yard campaign.
Denbrock’s backs have not been asked to do a lot coming out of the backfield, so how Emery and the other guys in that room are used in the passing game will be something to watch.
In 2020, Emery also did not have the best offensive line in front of him. It’s no sure thing that he will this fall, but it should at least be better.
If Jayden Daniels ends up as the starting quarterback, Emery and his counterparts could also benefit from the defenses having to worry about a run threat at QB.
There are a lot of factors that point to Emery finally having the season that many have been waiting for. Even if it’s not the 1,200-yard, all-conference campaign that has become expected from five-star backs, it could be a season where Emery puts himself firmly in the conversation for the 2023 NFL draft. He is that type of talent.
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