By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Redshirt sophomore running back Dilin Jones committed to transfer to Lane Kiffin’s LSU roster on Jan. 13, just a day after returning starter Caden Durham pulled his name from the transfer portal.
Two weeks before that, Harlem Berry, the top-rated rusher in the freshman class of 2025, announced his plan to stay at LSU through the coaching change.
With the top two ball carriers from the 2025 season back in the building, many running backs would have looked for opportunities somewhere else, but it had the opposite effect on the Wisconsin transfer.
“I like competition,” Jones said after practice on Tuesday. “That’s going to drive me to be the best player that I am. The guys in the room help me push myself to be a better me.”
Through spring practice and fall camp, it looks like Jones is winning that competition. He saw first team repetitions in the spring and has kept that status during pre-season practices and scrimmages. He said the challenge has pushed him to play faster and more decisively.
Head coach Lane Kiffin has praised Jones’ work ethic, footwork and physicality throughout the off-season. He identified him as an under-the-radar player to watch during an appearance on “In The Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu.”
Jones was the Badgers’ leading rusher after winning a preseason position battle last year before a season-ending, turf toe injury. The Laurel, Maryland, native started the first seven games of the season and took 76 carries for 300 yards and two scores. He was a consensus four-star prospect out of Our Lady of Good Counsel High in Olney, Maryland, where he also ran track and wrestled. He said that wrestling background has helped him as a running back.
“Being physical and then knowing your balance, knowing your strength, I’d say that played a big part in it.” Jones said.
At 5-foot-11, 206 pounds, Jones is the biggest option in the running back room for the Tigers this season. He said he is a physical runner, but staying on the field this season will take more than that.
“Almost every running back can run the ball,” Jones said. “It’s what you do without the ball in your hands, being able to block, go out there, run routes, everything else other than running the ball, but for sure, you got to be able to run the ball, too.”
Jones, Durham and Berry have shown they can all be prolific runners, but each have their own style. Berry (5-foot-10, 193 pounds) contrasts Jones’ physicality with a quick burst and blazing speed to out-maneuver defenders. He used those attributes to rack up 491 yards and two touchdowns on 104 attempts last season. Durham (5-9, 204) features a combination of explosive elusiveness and a low center of gravity to help him break tackles. He led the Tigers with 111 carries for 505 yards and three touchdowns last year.
Jones said the entire running back room has progressed a lot since he arrived on campus.
“The growth is crazy,” Jones said. “We all came a long way blocking-wise, physical, and just being able to play the game fast. We just really came a long way. Everybody in the room.”
That is in large part thanks to another newcomer, running backs coach Kevin Smith, an All-American back at Central Florida who played in the NFL. Smith followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge after three seasons as the backs coach at Ole Miss. He helped develop Rebels running back Kewan Lacy into an All-American in his first season at Ole Miss last season after playing just six games his freshman year at Missouri. He will hope for another breakout transfer in Jones this season.
“He’s done a lot for me,” Jones said. “He’s a great teacher, and then just being out there, he’s able to break everything down for you. And he really coaches routes like he’s a receiver coach.”
Jones caught just nine passes for 21 yards last season. He will need to expand his receiving work this year, but most of his usage will come between the tackles. That is where the Tigers’ rebuilt offensive line comes into play. Poor push from the offensive front limited LSU’s rushing attack by backs over the last several seasons, but Jones says this year’s group is different.
“They’re not average O-linemen,” he said. “They’re very athletic. They can do everything you need them to do.”
And Jones said praise like that has not made them complacent.
“The extra stuff they do after practice, seeing meetings with them, all the extra, how long they’re in here and really how hard they work. They’re in here every day, day and night, working hard, doing stuff after practice, after lifting, extra walk-throughs,” he said.
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