Brian Kelly excited to have John Emery Jr back in the mix on offense

John Emery Jr.‘s college career has been stifled with injuries and other mishaps, but the former five-star running back is finally healthy enough to be cleared and suit up in the LSU backfield this weekend.

“We’re excited about getting John back, certainly. I’m excited for him,” Kelly said heading into Week 3. “It’s been a long run for John in terms of getting a chance to get out and play for LSU. He’s worked hard to get back into this position, and now he gets an opportunity.”

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Emery was deemed academically ineligible for his junior season, and before that played a limited role in LSU’s undefeated 2019 National Championship team and the following year’s COVID-impacted season. Through his career, Emery has carried the ball 114 times for 566 yards (5.0 ypc) and seven touchdowns.

The former blue-chip running back recruit missed the first two games of the season thanks to the academic suspension stemming from his junior year, but Kelly and the Tigers coaching staff have kept him in the loop on the practice field.

“Let’s be careful now, he’s been off for a while,” Kelly said. “So, you know, to put a lot of expectations on him in the first game – we certainly can’t do that. We’ve got other backs that have done really well, but he will be part of the mix and make no mistake about it, we’ve seen his capabilities in camp. We’ve kept him active within our rotations, so he’s ready to play. We did that with, obviously, our mind eyes toward the SEC competition coming up, so we’re excited to get him back.”

Emery’s return to the field will be in Death Valley in the Tigers’ SEC opener against Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for this Saturday at 6 p.m. ET live on ESPN.