John Emery on Kevin Faulk, Christian McCaffrey comparisons
LSU third-year running back John Emery enters 2021 expected to be the Tigers’ premiere back. Learning from running backs coach Kevin Faulk, an NFL veteran, Emery’s seen a major growth in his game as he prepares for his third year.
“Coach Faulk…he’s been in the game,” Emery said to media. “He was in the game for a long time. He’s always giving great advice as far as pass protection, running routes. He did that he was that type of back, he was an all-around back as well. He understands it. That’s the advantage of having a coach that actually played football and actually has a feel of things. I feel like from my past two years my pass protection has gotten way better than the last two years…Every little thing that I do he helps out”
Faulk was hired at LSU as Director of Player Development in 2018 before moving to running backs coach in 2020. He played thirteen years in the NFL, all with the New England Patriots. In his career, Faulk had more receiving yards than rushing yards. He finished his career with over 3607 rushing yards and 3701 receiving yards. Emery noted that Faulk’s time with Tom Brady is a point of discussion
LSU hired Jake Peetz as offensive coordinator this offseason. Peetz spent the last two seasons as the quarterbacks coach in Carolina. He compared Emery to a running back he’s had the opportunity to see up close the last two seasons.
“He always brings up Christian McCaffrey” Emery said. “And he showed me a couple clips of him running the choice route and his runs and he says I can be just like Christian. He says I kind of remind him of Christian McCaffery. He actually showed me clips of Christian McCaffery as soon as he came in. Me seeing that, I knew it was going to be a perfect fit. I actually love the offense that we have right now”
Emery’s contributions in the pass game to this point in his career have been relatively small, but in Peetz’s system, Emery could see a much bigger role in the Tigers passing offense.
John Emery contributed as a freshman to the 2019 national championship LSU team. Sitting behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire and rotating in with Chris Curry and Tyrion Davis-Price, Emery still saw action in 10 games. He rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries. He also added 60 receiving yards on six receptions.
Last season, Emery nearly doubled his carries. He finished the nine game season with 378 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 75 attempts.
Heading into 2021, Emery looks to break through and show why he was such a highly-touted recruit.
A member of LSU’s 2019 recruiting class, John Emery was the highest-rated running back to sign with LSU since Leonard Fournette in 2014. Emery was a five-star prospect and considered a top 15 prospect nationally regardless of position.
As a senior, Emery rushed for 1,693 yards and 26 TDs in leading his team to the 5A state semifinals. He committed to LSU over 17 other offers including Georgia and Alabama.