Brian Kelly ‘Sickened’ Over John Emery Jr. Injury; Safety Ju’Juan Johnson Moves To Tailback

LSU tailback John Emery Jr. celebrates a TD run against Vanderbilt in the 2020 season. (LSU Photo).

By GLENN GUILBEAU

Tiger Rag Editor

LSU football coach Brian Kelly discussed the season-ending knee injury to top tailback John Emery Jr. that happened on Tuesday during his weekly radio show on Thursday night, and it was not a good memory.

“We were just so sickened by the injury itself, because it was a non-contact injury,” Kelly said.

Emery, a sixth-year senior who was already coming back from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his knee last season, suffered the same injury at practice Tuesday.

“It was one where he was just going out of bounds, and he leaned heavily onto his opposite leg,” Kelly said. “And he turned his ACL.”

Emery had surgery on Thursday that went well, Kelly said.

“There’s no fairness, right? Here’s a guy who has overcome so many things,” Kelly said.

Emery, who signed with LSU in 2019 out of Destrehan High near New Orleans, sat out the 2021 season because of academic eligibility issues. But he has graduated.

“Here’s what we do know,” Kelly said. “He’s going to be successful in life, because he’s had to overcome so much adversity in life that he’s going to to be able to handle whatever comes his way, and come out on the other side. There’s nothing good about going through another knee surgery and the rehab that goes with it. We’re going to be there with him, support him. Teammates will be there for him, and we wish him the best now moving forward. He knows we’re all with him.”

Emery will remain with the team.

“He’ll travel with us,” Kelly said. “He’ll be part of anything that he wants to partake in, because he’s so much a part of this because he worked so hard to come back.”

It remains to be seen if Emery will or can return to LSU for a seventh season.

FRESHMAN SAFETY JU’JUAN JOHNSON MOVES TO RUNNING BACK

To restore some depth to the tailback position because of Emery’s injury, Kelly has moved versatile true freshman Ju’Juan Johnson from safety to tailback. Johnson signed with LSU in the 2024 class as the No. 8 player in Louisiana out of Lafayette Christian Academy, where he played quarterback and threw for more than 10,500 yards in his career.

Johnson (6-0, 194 pounds) set Louisiana high school records for career total yards with 14,451 and touchdowns with 171 and was named Mr. Football in Louisiana in 2023.

“He has got a lot of skills and can blend in there,” Kelly said. “He doesn’t have a full grasp of everything we’re doing. We just moved him. But you’ll see him on Saturday. He’s going to play a little bit.”

No. 18 LSU (0-1) hosts Nicholls State (0-1) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.

GARRETT DELLINGER QUESTIONABLE, CHRIS HILTON AND KYLE PARKER WILL NOT PLAY

LSU starting left guard Garrett Dellinger is questionable for Saturday’s game with what Kelly called an upper body injury. Wide receivers Chris Hilton (bone bruise) and Kyle Parker (shoulder) will not play because of injuries.

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