LSU’s backfield is already starting to take shape for 2026, and one of the quieter additions from the offseason may end up carrying more weight than expected.
With the Tigers set to open the season in a high-profile nonconference matchup against Clemson and the Lane Kiffin era about to officially begin in Baton Rouge, the roster overhaul has naturally brought fresh attention. Kiffin worked the transfer portal to piece together a team ready to compete right away, and among those new faces, Wisconsin transfer running back Dilin Jones is drawing real buzz heading into fall.
Jones arrived without much fanfare, but his 2025 production at Wisconsin gives LSU reason to believe there’s more here than a depth piece. He started the first seven games for the Badgers before a season-ending injury cut his year short.
Even in limited action, he put up 300 rushing yards on 76 carries, averaged almost four yards per attempt and scored two touchdowns. He also chipped in nine catches for 21 yards, showing a little bit of utility as a receiver out of the backfield.
That profile has caught Kiffin’s attention throughout spring practice.
"He looks really good. Has come in and been good in protection, been good in his vision, his feet, running the ball, and has been really a bright spot," Kiffin said. "Like I said, offensively, we've struggled to find those, and again the tackling part is a difference in that position specifically."
LSU does have other established names in the room. Harlem Berry and Caden Durham are both back and figure to be central pieces in Kiffin’s offense.
But Jones brings a different kind of value. Berry and Durham are the more explosive runners; Jones offers balance, steadiness and the kind of pass protection that can keep an offense on schedule and a quarterback upright.
That blend could make LSU’s backfield a true three-man problem for defenses. If the group clicks, the Tigers have a chance to build not just a productive rushing attack, but one of the better ones in the SEC and beyond, especially in a Kiffin system that has helped produce elite ground games in recent seasons.
Kiffin said Jones has already played above the level of his offseason billing, and he made clear that sort of reliability matters at that spot.
"For a guy that wasn't a headliner, he's played like it," Kiffin said. "And that's really critical because that spot, it's extremely critical to have somebody or a number of people that, again, just like the quarterback spot, makes the plays when everybody's not blocked up and makes the significant plays. He's done that."
If Jones carries that spring momentum into fall camp, he could become one of the defining pieces of LSU’s offense in 2026.
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