Brian Kelly explains why he played a less-than-healthy John Emery in spring game

Despite walking in a boot last week, senior tailback John Emery hit the field on Saturday for the LSU spring game. First-year Tigers head coach Brian Kelly justified the decision after the game.

“I was really impressed with him today, he was probably… he was less than healthy,” Kelly said. “Most would have said, ‘why would you play him today?’ He wanted to go. He was like, ‘look, I’m going to get banged up during the season. I want to know what it’s going to be like because I’m not going to be 100% during the season.’ That kind of mind set says a little about him. I was proud of him… We saw what kind of back he is, even banged up.”

Emery suffered the injury April 14, and Kelly said it was a minor injury even though Emery was in a walking boot. The new LSU skipper was pleased with what he saw from Emery and fellow running backs Tre Bradford and Armoni Goodwin on Saturday.

“Those backs run really hard. You better tackle them,” Kelly said. “You better get our backs on the ground and you saw that today. They bring some traits across the board that I think are highly competitive in this league.”

John Emery making a big return for Tigers

Emery didn’t play last season as a junior after being ruled academically ineligible. However, he appeared in nine contests in 2020. He had 378 yards on 75 carries and three touchdowns for LSU, while also adding 14 catches for 73 yards in the passing game.

Out of high school, Emery was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 running back prospect from the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’ll try to make an impact for Kelly, who’s entering his first year as LSU coach, after a strong spring prior to the injury.

LSU quarterback competition continues after spring game

LSU had a busy offseason in the transfer portal after first-year head coach Brian Kelly looked to rebuild the roster. The quarterback competition has been among the most fierce in the country as newcomers Jayden Daniels and Walker Howard compete with returners Myles Brennan and Garrett Nussmeier for snaps.

Following the LSU spring game, which brought spring practice to a close, Brian Kelly provided his latest thoughts on the quarterback competition.

“We didn’t clear anything up today with the quarterback,” said Kelly. “We probably made it more difficult.”

Kelly and his staff appear in no rush to name a starting quarterback with so much depth in the room. They’ll allow the competition to carry into summer workouts and possibly the fall practices leading up to the regular season.

On3’s Jonathan Fletcher contributed to this report.