Harlem Berry didn’t exactly cruise into 2026 with momentum, but the LSU sophomore is starting to look like a back who plans to stay in the picture.
Berry delivered the best game of his career Saturday night in LSU’s 63-14 rout of McNeese State at Tiger Stadium, piling up 125 yards on 15 carries and scoring his first touchdown of the season. It came in game five, but it felt like the kind of performance that can reset a season.
“I’m really proud of him,” coach Lane Kiffin said. “Proud of how things happen in our program - that you just don’t get handed things.
And sometimes you get demoted, and you’ve got to earn them. And he’s done a really good job of that.”
That climb has been necessary. Berry, who broke out as one of LSU’s leading rushers as a true freshman, found himself third on the depth chart this season after transfer Dilin Jones won the starting job and transfer Stacy Gage moved into the backup role.
The former five-star prospect from St. Martin’s Episcopal High in Metairie finished last season with 104 carries for 491 yards and two touchdowns, the second-highest rushing total on the team, but Kiffin said the roster is judged with a clean slate.
“People don’t play here by how many stars they are, what their contract is, or where they’re from,” Kiffin said during August camp.
Berry said the demotion didn’t shake him.
“I just battled through adversity,” he said. “Praying to God, keep my head down, keep working hard, getting on special teams, working at practice until my opportunity was there, and then it was just able to present itself.”
That opportunity started to grow last week against Texas A&M, when Berry took over the No. 2 role and responded with 58 yards on seven carries in LSU’s 35-6 win. Against McNeese, he kept that spot and made it count.
Berry flashed the traits LSU wants from him as a change-of-pace option behind Jones. He darted through gaps, made defenders miss in space and ripped off a 46-yard run on the Tigers’ final possession of the first half. Later, he finished off an 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to push LSU ahead 49-0.
“I believe in my talents, the things God gifted me with,” Berry said. “My opportunity gets shown and gets presented - just take full advantage of it.”
He also described the contrast between his game and Jones’ style.
“I’m an elusive, fast, two-type back,” he said. “Dilin got that in his bag too.
I have a little bit of a pop. Dilin is a physical, downhill runner.
So just being able to play off each other is good.”
For Kiffin, the most encouraging part wasn’t just the burst. It was the way Berry handled the ball. The coach pointed to Berry’s growth in running more directly instead of drifting sideways and trying to outrun everyone to the edge.
“I think getting vertical in the run game, not trying to bounce everything,” Kiffin said of Berry’s biggest improvement. “You saw him today really take what was there and get vertical, which is a normal transition, especially for a young running back and maybe coming from a lower level, where you can just bounce everything and outrun everybody.”
Berry said that adjustment has been part of the learning curve.
“That was an adjustment from high school, just making all those unnecessary cuts,” he said. “Just make one cut, get vertical, try to get north, try to get to the end zone.”
Now, with more experience and a firmer grip on the No. 2 job, Berry is trying to keep moving the same way on the field and on the depth chart as LSU heads deeper into the season.
In Other News...
LSU May Have Found A New Weapon In Saturday's Rout
Saturdays rout offered LSU something it has been searching for on offense: another young target who can do real damage as soon as the ball is snapped. True freshman Corey Barber Jr. made the most of his chances in the first half, hauling in four passes for 45 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers quickly separated from McNeese State and turned the game into a runaway before halftime.
The timing matters, too, because LSU got that burst while quarterback Sam Leavitt was still managing a hamstring injury and still finished the day efficiently through the air. By halftime, the Tigers had already piled up a 35-0 lead, outgained McNeese State 347 yards to 31 and owned a 20-2 edge in first downs, a sign that the offense was operating with more rhythm and more answers than the opponent could handle. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's QB Plan Just Got More Complicated Than Fans Hoped
LSUs quarterback picture already had a little fog around it, and the McNeese State game only made it thicker. Sam Leavitt was back under center as the regular starter even while working through a hamstring injury from the previous week, a reminder that the Tigers are managing more than just the normal September wear and tear. Behind him, Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet were also slated for meaningful snaps, keeping the offense in a state of shared responsibility rather than a clean, settled hierarchy.
It was not just the quarterback room feeling the strain. Safety Ty Benefield and William Satterwhite II also started in place of injured or replaced players, which says plenty about how many moving parts LSU has had to sort through at once. For a team trying to establish rhythm early, the challenge is no longer simply who starts, but how quickly the Tigers can get continuity while those rotations keep shifting around them. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Sent LSU A Clear Message In A Blowout Win
LSUs 63-14 win over McNeese State looked one-sided long before it was over, but the bigger takeaway may have been the way Lane Kiffin handled it. The Tigers piled up a program-record number of first downs and offensive plays while finishing with the second-most total yards in school history, a reminder that the performance stayed sharp from start to finish even after the margin opened up.
Kiffin still found ways to keep the edge intact, calling timeout before the second half despite the comfortable lead and making substitutions that were as much about message as matchup. It was a clear push to reinforce his standards and the culture he wants in place, even in a game that could have easily drifted into empty snaps and soft focus. [Read more 🡒]