Dilin Jones didn’t come to LSU looking for an easy path. He came for the kind of room that forces a back to earn every snap, and that gamble is already looking smart.
The redshirt sophomore arrived in Baton Rouge after a rough finish to his 2025 season at Wisconsin, when turf toe shut him down after he had won the starting job. Jones had opened the year as the Badgers’ starter, taking the first seven games before the injury ended his season. Before that, he had logged 300 yards and two touchdowns on 76 carries, a steady run that showed enough promise to make his next move matter.
He could have taken the safer route. As a native of Laurel, Maryland, and a transfer ranked No. 75 among running backs and No. 944 overall in the portal, Jones had options that likely would have handed him a starting job quickly. Instead, he chose LSU, where the backfield already included junior Caden Durham, sophomore Harlem Berry and three other transfers who were in Baton Rouge before him.
For Jones, that crowded setup was the appeal.
"I mean, really, competition. I like competition that's gonna drive me to be the best player that I am. So I'm really saying the guys in the room helped me push myself to be a better me," Jones said Tuesday.
That choice has worked out fast. Jones has separated himself as the top back in the room since arriving on campus in January, and the former four-star recruit wasted no time putting himself in position to matter. The work showed up early enough that he has become one of the offseason stories in Baton Rouge, with Jones handling the first reps on Day 1 before Berry and Durham followed.
He’s also noticed the difference in his own game.
"Getting here, I would say the strength staff got me faster. Being out there, just being able to play with speed really helped out my game a lot. And just decision making, able to make a cut, hit the hole," Jones said.
Jones pointed to running backs coach Kevin Smith as another big part of that progress.
"I would say he's done a lot for me. He's a great teacher. And then just being out there, he's able to break everything down for you, and he coaches routes like he's a receiver coach, and that really helps you understand and helps you out in the passing game," Jones said.
LSU has plenty to clean up on the ground after finishing last in the Southeastern Conference in rushing last season, averaging 104 yards per game and 3.58 yards per carry. The Tigers’ issues up front were a major reason for that, but Jones isn’t buying the idea that the line will be a problem this fall.
"They're not no average O-linemen," Jones said. "They're very athletic. They could do everything you need them to do blocking wise," Jones said of LSU's offensive line room.
With the backfield talent LSU has assembled, the Tigers have the pieces to climb in the SEC rushing race. Right now, Jones looks like the back setting the tone.
In Other News...
LSU Can Add Two Controversial Transfers But One Concern Remains
LSU suddenly has a clearer path to bolster its roster with two unusual additions, as the SEC has reportedly ended its legal fight over professional players signing with teams in the league. That opens the door for players such as Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both of whom have already signed NFL contracts, to join the Tigers under a policy change that has been at the center of a broader conference controversy.
For LSU, the appeal is obvious: extra talent, extra depth, and a chance to take advantage of a rule shift that was designed to curb the pro-to-college pipeline. The lingering question is timing, though, because even with the paperwork situation moving in LSUs favor, Wright and Harris may not be ready when the season opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Former Pro Path Just Got A Huge Boost In Court
A Dallas County judge has given LSU and other SEC schools a short-term opening in the growing fight over former professional athletes in college sports, issuing a 14-day temporary restraining order that restores eligibility for more than 40 players. The order blocks a conference rule that had kept schools from signing athletes with prior pro experience, and it names the NCAA, the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey among the defendants.
For LSU, the timing matters because similar legal challenges are already playing out in Louisiana, where some athletes have said they intend to return to college football if the path stays open. The ruling does not settle the larger dispute, but it does pause penalties against schools that roster those players and sets up another round of legal decisions that could shape who is available to take the field next. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs No. 8 Suddenly Carries Big Weight For The Tigers Future
Jersey No. 8 has taken on a little extra meaning around LSU lately because it now connects two players the Tigers are counting on in different ways. Husan Longstreet, the former USC recruit and transfer, arrived with the kind of profile that keeps quarterback futures under a spotlight, and he enters camp as a backup with a chance to grow into more. On the other side of the ball, Ja'Keem Jackson came over from Florida and is expected to help more this season as a cornerback backup with a bigger workload ahead.
For LSU, the number is becoming less about a uniform choice and more about what it might eventually represent on the roster. Longstreet and Jackson both fit the Tigers' broader transfer-add approach, bringing new depth and a little intrigue to a team that is always watching its next wave of contributors closely. The part LSU still has to find out is which one, if either, turns No. 8 into something bigger once the season starts to unfold. [Read more 🡒]