John Emery "unavailable" for LSU's opener vs. Florida State
LSU running back John Emery will not suit up for the Tigers in the season opener against Florida State on Sunday, Sep. 3.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly shared the news during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference, though he only listed the senior as “unavailable” without adding more context to the reasons behind his absence.
Kelly said Emery is expected back, though he didn’t set a date for the running back’s return to the field.
Emery missed 15 games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons as a result of an academic suspension. That included the matchup with the Seminoles a year ago.
LSU’s RB approach with Emery unavailable
The good news: LSU has eight scholarship running backs on roster.
The bad news: the number dips to six available running backs for the Week 1 game against FSU.
Kelly listed running back Armoni Goodwin as “doubtful” to play against the Seminoles, while Josh Williams – likely LSU’s starter – was listed as “probable”.
The Tigers will likely lean on returning running back Noah Cain and Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs, who had more than 1,000 all-purpose yards with the Irish a year ago.
“(Logan Diggs) adds to an experienced group with Cain and Williams,” Kelly said. “That’s pretty good. Add John Emery when he’s able to come back, and now you’ve got a deep and talented and experienced group of running backs.
“Anytime you have that in the SEC, you feel pretty good about it.”
The Tigers also have a pair of freshmen running backs on roster in Kaleb Jackson and Trey Holly, and the program welcomed back running back Kevontre Bradford this offseason after he spent the season away from the team in 2022.
Another bump in the road for the former 5-star
Emery’s college career has gone far from how most expected, and his absence to open the 2023 season marks the third year in a row when the New Orleans native will be unavailable in Week 1.
Emery sat out the entire 2021 season and multiple games to start the 2022 season as a result of a 15-game academic suspension. Entering his fifth season on roster, Emery has played in 30 games (five starts) in his LSU career with 941 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He has added a pair of receiving touchdowns on 33 catches for 262 yards.
Emery was a five-star prospect, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services, coming out of high school. He was the No. 1 running back in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana.
