Competition At Running Back Will Be Underrated Battle of LSU Spring Practice

John Emery impressing staff with renewed focus, how sophomore backs can push for playing time

The running back room is full of talent, making it a deeply difficult position to get much of a grasp on for a number of reasons.

What's going on with John Emery? How much have Corey Kiner and Armoni Goodwin improved? How does this room change when transfer Noah Cain arrives? These are all questions running backs coach Frank Wilson and the Tigers' staff will be taking detailed notes to try and answer.

John Emery

Senior

Emery is perhaps the most interesting piece to this puzzle. After really shining for much of the offseason last year, there was real buzz he'd establish himself as a bell cow for the Tigers' backfield. But as LSU fans know he never saw the field because of academic issues.

It's wide spread fact of how tight a ship Brian Kelly is running from an accountability standpoint but all indications from Kelly are that Emery is doing everything he's supposed to in order to see the field. 

"If they're out on the practice field, they've passed a robust test of consistency with academics and day to day accountability," Kelly said of Emery. "He is making the positive progress, he's above the line. The standards that we set for him, he's meeting them."

Emery did fumble the ball in one of the live ball periods, which Wilson got on him for but all signs out of camp is that he's entered this year with a renewed sense of focus. If Emery can stay eligible and healthy, continuing on this positive track, he should absolutely see a lion's share of the work this spring and try to establish a significant role.

Corey Kiner

Sophomore

The second year back out of Ohio was the second leading rusher for the Tigers in 2021, averaging over four yards per carry and 324 total yards in his 11 games of action. Kiner earned the most work against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl, rushing for 53 yards despite not having much room to run at all in the season finale.  

It's only been a few months since that game but Kiner is one of those names to really keep an eye on this spring as a down hill runner who's shifty enough to break into the second level. He's been working with a couple of rotations in the first few days of spring practice, most notably with Jayden Daniels on the first day during the open portion of practice. 

Armoni Goodwin

Sophomore

Goodwin was injured for a large chunk of his freshman season but did get healthy towards the end but picked up just 16 carries on the year. He's the speedy back of the group, who is really able to put his speed on notice when he breaks the edge and gets up field.  

Like Kiner, Goodwin was a highly touted recruit a year ago and the potential is there for more expanded roles. But with the room as crowded as it is, it'll be tough for all of these backs to earn equal parts of the rotation come fall.

Of course the bigger question is how much of a role the two sophomores will be able to carve out with the impending transfer of Noah Cain becoming official in May. 

Noah Cain

Junior

This is where Cain's ensuing addition to the room becomes so intriguing because he undoubtedly has the most experience of any running back on the roster. Appearing in 23 games with nearly 1,000 career yards between the run and pass, Cain has the tools to be a multi threat option out of the backfield. 

Cain won't be with the team this spring so he'll start a little bit behind the eight ball when he gets to campus in a few months but Kelly and the staff pursued him for a reason. It’s highly unlikely he won't be a significant part of the rotation come fall, which makes the spring all the more important for the backs competing over the next few weeks.