LSU Tigers Head Coach Brian Kelly explained on Wednesday why he decided to start running back John Emery, Jr. back to the program.
There were several reasons why Kelly decided to give Emery another year in the program. The first was that Holly Trey – A song for the whole family struggled with legal issues that made his status unclear. In addition, Emery graduated and made it clear that he was capable of giving LSU another try.
“There was some uncertainty in Trey Holly’s situation that created this opportunity,” Brian Kelly said. “I think that was one thing in that position. I think the other was that he had graduated and we were kind of dictating to him that he had to do the academic work.”
John Emery Jr. originally came to LSU ahead of Brian Kelly and wasn’t particularly highly touted at the time. A five-star recruit in the class of 2019, Emery was the 12th-ranked player overall in that cycle according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
Over the course of his career, Emery has played in 37 games and spent five years at LSU. He has 1,062 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns in his career. He also has 36 receptions for 320 yards and two touchdowns in his career.
Last November, Emery suffered a torn ACL that ended his season early. Since then, he has had the option to leave LSU and hit the restart button. Instead, Emery decided it was best to return in 2024 after being offered the opportunity to stay at LSU.
“I think the third thing was that he really did an incredible job of rehabbing from the injury. As far as compliance goes. He was determined to play again. If he was so, so eager to play – he was determined. He was going to play,” Kelly said.
“When we put it all together, Frank and I came to the conclusion: ‘Look, we have a kid here who had a lot of things that didn’t go the way he wanted, some of them were his own doing, but he really showed that he wanted to try again.’ So we sat down together. We thought about it and offered him the opportunity. He had other offers and felt this was the best opportunity. We’re glad he’s back.”
This will be Emery’s sixth season in the LSU program, and as Kelly added without elaborating, he has one more year left due to a medical issue.
For the 2024 season, Brian Kelly has nine running backs on the roster. Holly is part of this group, as he was able to retain his eligibility. In addition, LSU has backs like Josh Williams And Caleb Jacksonas well as a fascinating newcomer in Caden Durham.
