Caden Durham, former Texas high school football star, has breakout day for LSU Tigers

True freshman, former Duncanville star awarded game ball after 98 rushing yards, 2 TDs in comeback win at South Carolina

Duncanville's Caden Durham celebrates a touchdown during the 2022 UIL (Texas) 6A Division I state championship. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

Caden Durham bounced off of and evaded countless defenders throughout his rise to become the top high school running back in Texas.

It hasn't taken long for the former Duncanville standout to do it on the college stage.

Durham, SBLive's All-Texas first team running back in 2023, flashed a familiar spark in a breakout rushing performance in LSU's back-and-forth 36-33 road win over against South Carolina on Saturday afternoon.

Tigers coach Brian Kelly awarded Durham the game ball in the locker room after the game.

"You know what else I love? Freshman running backs," Kelly said, as he wrapped his arm around Durham. "At the end of the day, it's the SEC. You've got to break some tackles."

Durham took 11 carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns in his third-ever college football game. He averaged 8.9 yards per carry and many of them came after contact.

With LSU trailing 17-0 in the second quarter, the 5-foot-9, 205-pound freshman took a handoff up the middle, exploded past three collapsing defenders, brushed off a shoestring tackle and dove with his outstretched arms through a tackle to cross the TD plane.

Watch footage of the 26-yard touchdown run here.

LSU freshman Caden Durham (29) runs near South Carolina defensive back Judge Collier (20) in a 36-33 win on Saturday. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was one of two touchdown runs in the game for Durham, who has been buried on the depth chart, in his second-ever college football game, and the best rushing performance of any LSU player this season through three games.

He didn't get any carries in LSU's narrow Week 1 loss to USC in Las Vegas. In a Week 2 blowout of Nicholls State, he had four carries for five yards.

Durham was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but played his high school football career in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for one the state's most visible teams.

He helped Duncanville win two UIL 6A Division I state championships. As a senior, Durham rushed for 2,027 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Duncanville's Caden Durham rushes during the 2022 UIL (Texas) 6A Division I state championship. / Photo by Robbie Rakestraw, SBLive

Duncanville's Caden Durham takes a rush during the 2023 Texas high school football postseason. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

Caden Durham breaks free of a tackle in a 2023 district loss to DeSoto. / Photo by Robbie Rakestraw, SBLive

Caden Durham wins UIL 6A Division I state championship offensive MVP. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

Caden Durham breaks away for a touchdown run during the 2023 district loss to DeSoto. / Photo by Robbie Rakestraw, SBLive

—

More Texas high school football Week 3:

• Flower Mound 3-0 thanks to dramatic late drive against Lake Highlands: 5 takeaways

• A&M Consolidated holds off Pflugerville Weiss in 6A showdown

• Texas high school football team on its third coach in same week

• Top 100 Texas high school football players: PART 1 | PART 2

—

SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx