BY ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, TIGER RAG STAFF Reporter
LSU’s running game during the 2024 season was the Tigers’ Achilles heel. It finished 107th in the nation in rushing yards with just 4.06 yards a carry. With the departures of Josh Williams, Trey Holly, and John Emery Jr., LSU became more of an inexperienced running back room.
Caden Durham, Kaleb Jackson, Harlem Berry and JT Lindsey make up the 2025 running back room. LSU has to be much more successful this season when running the ball, especially for the LSU offense to be less predictable than last year.
Caden Durham enters his sophomore season with big expectations as one of the better returning backs in the country. Durham totaled 753 yards rushing with six touchdowns on the ground in his freshman campaign. He also is a dangerous weapon in the passing game as he hauled in 28 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns.
Durham’s success last season with the Tigers came most notably in his performances at South Carolina, at Arkansas and versus South Alabama. Durham has track speed and runs the ball with great acceleration. In high school, Durham clocked 10.28 seconds in the 100-meter dash. His first-year experience along with his ability to kick it into second gear should help the Tigers be much more dangerous in the backfield.
Durham is having a very impressive fall camp so far. One of his most impressive plays came in an 11-on-11 period where he took an outside run 45 yards for a touchdown after bouncing off of a defender near the sideline.
The sophomore running back is expected to be the starter and receive majority of the carries for the LSU team, but LSU is looking for lots of production from junior running back Kaleb Jackson.
Jackson returns for his third year with the Tigers as the biggest back in the room. Jackson is coming off of a disappointing sophomore season where he only saw 44 carries for 150 yards. Jackson hit the weight room hard in the offseason and is back in a physical shape where the Tigers could benefit from using him as a power back.
Head coach Brian Kelly says that Jackson has impressed the staff during camp and is looking for him to be a more physical back.
“Kaleb’s had a great camp. He’s physical, he’s smart. It’s just about getting into game-situations where he makes good cuts and good decisions,” Kelly said.
Two of the new faces in LSU’s running back room are five-star Harlem Berry and four-star JT Lindsey. Berry comes in as the number one running back in the country, where his speed and elusiveness have already stood out at fall camp. Lindsey comes in as the number nine back in the country where his physical build makes him look already game-ready for the SEC.
Kelly says that the Tiger offense will need contributions from everyone, including the two young backs. Berry has been taking second-team reps at times in camp, but Kelly says he still has lots to learn.
“The physicality is a bit different. Harlem is getting used to that. There’s a bit of a transition for him in high school tackling and college tackling,” Kelly said.
LSU’s running backs will have a chance to put the CFB world on notice when they face an elite Clemson defensive line on August 30th.
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