LSU starting RB Caden Durham's injury status revealed

LSU running back Caden Durham has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Ole Miss, per the SEC injury report. He was not suited up in pregame warmups at Ole Miss and was seated on the bench while the team stretched before kickoff.

Durham was injured in last week’s win over Southeastern Louisiana, where he suffered an ankle injury late in the game. He is the leading back for LSU this year with 45 carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns through four games and a sophomore that is continuing to find his footing this season.

Pete Nakos and Shea Dixon reported on Saturday morning that Durham is a “true gametime decision.”

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On Monday, Brian Kelly addressed Durham’s injury, citing optimism that he might be “a go” against Ole Miss.

“Day to day situation. He was better than we first thought. Doesn’t show any signs of a high ankle sprain, so he’s anxious to give it a shot and play and we’ll monitor him throughout the week.”

On Wednesday morning’s weekly SEC Coaches Teleconference, Kelly shed more light on Durham’s status.

“I think we’re going to list him as questionable,” Kelly said. “We’ll see how he progresses through practice each day. He could go from questionable to out or questionable to probable depending on how he moves through the remainder of practice. We won’t make those assessments until we see the full body of work through practice.”

If Durham is not able to play, expect to see much more of sophomore Ju’Juan Johnson. The former high school quarterback began his LSU career at defensive back, then moved to the other side of the football to help alleviate depth concerns at running back.

Now, even when Durham is at full health, Johnson has carved out a role in LSU’s offense.

In the win over Southeastern, Johnson was given eight carries and turned those opportunities into 43 yards and two touchdowns. Beyond his impressive mark of 5.4 yards per carry, Johnson also caught his lone target in the passing game for a 14-yard gain.

Beyond Durham and Johnson, the other two running backs used by assistant Frank Wilson are Kaleb Jackson and Harlem Berry. 

Berry, a true freshman and former 5-star prospect who was ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 running back in the 2025 class, is the player most likely to see his workload increase if Durham misses time. 

In the win over Southeastern, Berry had seven carries for 28 yards – good for 4 yards per rush attempt. Jackson, in his third season at LSU, had just two carries for six yards, though he caught all three of his targets in the passing game for a total of 23 yards.