LSU’s fall camp opened with the kind of early roster sorting that usually tells you plenty about where a team is headed, and one of the first names to separate himself was transfer running back Dilin Jones.
The Tigers have plenty to sort through over the next couple of weeks, especially in the depth-heavy rooms across a renovated roster. The quarterback and wide receiver groups were rebuilt through Lane Kiffin’s transfer portal work, while running back kept its veteran core intact and added Jones as the lone transfer.
Jones arrived in Baton Rouge from Madison, WI, and he’s not looking like a body to fill out the room. On the first day of camp, he stood out in running backs coach Kevin Smith’s standard drills, pushing through a mock defensive line, finishing with sharp explosion, and showing clean ball security throughout the rep.
That early work has already put him in the mix as a player who could rise quickly in a crowded group. He was leading drills and drawing notice in rotations, a strong sign for a newcomer trying to carve out a role behind veteran backs sophomore Harlem Berry and junior Caden Durnham, who took over the position room last season and are projected to handle the starting spots again this year.
Jones had already been trending upward before camp even began. He was labeled the most underrated player heading into camp and had been taking first-team snaps just two months after enrolling at LSU, a sign that the staff saw something real from the start.
His path to Baton Rouge comes with a résumé that shows both production and interruption. Last season, Jones started seven games, ran for 300 yards on 76 carries, and scored two touchdowns before a season-ending turf toe injury sent him into the portal in mid-December.
Now healthy enough to flash early, he’s already making the kind of impression that can change the shape of a running back room. It’s still the first stretch of camp and the beginning of his LSU run, but Jones has wasted no time showing he can operate at the level this backfield demands.
In Other News...
LSUs Next Quarterback Battle May Already Be Taking Shape
Husan Longstreet has barely settled into LSUs program, but his arrival already gives the Tigers a clearer look at what comes next under Lane Kiffin. The redshirt freshman quarterback, once a five-star recruit at USC, is now part of Kiffins transfer class and has brought real pedigree to a room that always seems to be one turn away from a major reset.
For now, the path is straightforward enough: Sam Leavitt is the established starter, and LSU can afford to let Longstreet develop without forcing the issue. The bigger intrigue is the longer view, because if Leavitt heads to the NFL Draft after the season, Longstreet is the kind of arm LSU could be building toward as the program starts thinking about its next quarterback fight. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Could Face Another Staff Reset Sooner Than Fans Wanted
Lane Kiffin has at least gotten a seasons worth of continuity from his top two assistants, keeping offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and defensive coordinator Blake Baker in place as LSU settles into the year. For a program that has spent plenty of time dealing with change at the top and on the sidelines, having both coordinators back has mattered, especially with Baker already drawing interest before after being considered for the Tulane job and Weis building a reputation as one of the sports more promising young coaches.
Still, the longer LSUs staff performs at a high level, the more likely it is that other programs will come calling. Industry insider Pete Nakos recently listed both Weis and Baker as potential head coaching candidates in the near future, which puts the Tigers in a familiar spot of trying to enjoy the stability while it lasts. For now, LSU has its coordinators intact, but another round of staff turnover could arrive sooner than fans hoped. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Dominick McKinley Suddenly Has More To Prove Than Expected
Dominick McKinley arrived at preseason camp with the kind of rsum that usually buys a little more certainty. The LSU junior defensive tackle was a former five-star recruit and had shown up on several preseason depth charts as either a starter or the No. 2 option, which made his place in the pecking order seem fairly clear entering August.
Instead, the early work of camp left him with more to prove than many expected. LSU opened with Malik Blocton and Deuce Geralds as the first-team tackles and Stephylan Green and Richard Anderson behind them, leaving McKinley to keep fighting for snaps after appearing in 23 games over his first two seasons with only limited starts. He is still expected to compete for playing time, but the opening of camp suggests nothing will be handed to him. [Read more 🡒]