LSU’s backfield has turned into one of the most compelling fights on the roster, and the early front-runner is not the name plenty of people expected when this all started.
When Lane Kiffin was hired, the assumption was obvious: the 1,500-yard, 24-touchdown back from Oxford might be headed to Baton Rouge with him. That never happened. Instead, he stayed at Ole Miss, and LSU’s running back room went from looking thin to becoming a straight-up competition for the top spot in Charlie Weis Jr.’s offense.
At the moment, Dilin Jones has grabbed the lead.
Jones arrived in Baton Rouge after two seasons at Wisconsin, and he didn’t come in with the loudest hype in the room. But he has quickly shown why he was the guy to beat.
He already earned a starting job with the Badgers, and that experience is showing up now. He can plant and cut without giving up much burst, keeps his legs churning through contact, and has a knack for slipping through tight lanes without getting touched.
That’s exactly the kind of back running backs coach Kevin Smith wants. Jones has also stood out in pass protection, where he has been physical against linebackers and showed it clearly in team periods going back to spring.
At 5 '11”, 211 pounds, he has the size LSU needs and the speed to separate from the rest of the group.
Harlem Berry, meanwhile, gives LSU a very different kind of option.
The former number one running back in the class of 2025 is back for his second year, and his versatility gives Weis plenty to work with. Berry can be moved around in different formations and could even be used as a receiver or as a checkdown target out of the backfield.
He has not been the center of attention in this battle because Jones has surged, but his ranking was no accident. Berry runs with authority, hits that extra gear once he reaches the secondary, and brings the kind of athleticism that can pay off in this offense.
Given how Charlie Weis Jr. has used backs dating back to his Lane Kiffin days at Florida Atlantic, Berry could wind up with 20 to 25 catches this year.
Caden Durham is still very much in the mix, even if the role looks smaller right now.
The Tigers’ back-to-back leading rusher is back after entering the transfer portal and then pulling his name out a few days later. Durham dealt with a right ankle sprain throughout 2025, and he never quite had the same burst or power he showed during SEC play in 2024. When he is right, though, he has the talent to be one of the best backs in the SEC and could fit anywhere in the country.
Coming out of fall camp, he is expected to be the number three back. He has flashed the power that showed up during his freshman season, but he still has work to do when it comes to finding the open lanes his offensive line has created in spring.
There is time to clean that up, but it remains a concern and could cap his workload. Even so, Durham should still matter, especially in the red zone.
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