LSU doesn’t have a running back committee right now. It has Dilin Jones, and the Tigers are leaning into it.
Through three games of the 2026 season, the redshirt sophomore transfer from Wisconsin has separated himself from everyone else in the backfield and turned into the clear centerpiece of LSU’s ground game. Jones is fourth in the Southeastern Conference and 25th nationally in rushing with 95 yards per game, piling up 64 carries for 285 yards and three touchdowns heading into Saturday’s matchup between No.
10 LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC) and No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at Tiger Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.
That kind of workload is unusual for LSU, but it’s not unheard of. The last time the Tigers had one back clearly carrying the load was in 2021, when Ty Davis-Price logged 211 carries for 1,003 yards.
Corey Kiner was next on the list that season with 79 carries for 337 yards. In 2022 and 2023, quarterback Jayden Daniels became the primary runner and used that production to win the Heisman Trophy in 2023 with 1,134 rushing yards and 3,812 passing yards.
This year’s backfield picture looked very different on paper before Jones took over. Junior Caden Durham led LSU in rushing the last two seasons, while sophomore Harlem Berry shared the work almost evenly in 2025. Josh Williams also wasn’t far behind Durham in 2024, finishing with only 23 fewer carries.
Jones changed that in spring practice after LSU coach Lane Kiffin found him at Wisconsin. He arrived as the No. 944 prospect in the portal and the No. 75 running back after missing half of the 2025 season with a foot and toe injury.
At the time, most people expected him to be no higher than third on the depth chart behind Durham and Berry, who was the No. 1 prep running back in the nation in 2025 out of St. Martin’s in Metairie.
Jones, though, made his case before the season even started.
“I’m really competitive. I like competition,” Jones said before the season when asked why he came to LSU with two established backs.
“I thought it would drive me to be the best player I could be. And I’d say the other guys in the running back room pushed me to be better.”
What followed was Jones pushing them out of the rotation.
Stacy Gage, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Central Florida, has emerged as the surprise No. 2 back, but he has only 15 carries for 56 yards through three games. Berry has managed just five carries for 13 yards in two games, and Durham has one net yard on four rushes in two games. Neither Berry nor Durham played in LSU’s 32-24 loss at Ole Miss, where Jones handled 23 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown while Gage got three carries for three yards.
The reason Jones has stayed on the field is easy to see. At 5-foot-11 and 211 pounds, he brings a physical presence LSU’s other backs haven’t matched, and he’s been finishing games stronger than he starts them. Against Ole Miss, 64 of his 106 yards came in the second half.
He has done that behind an offensive line that has not exactly opened up huge lanes.
LSU offensive line grades are in, and they’re pretty offensive. @kacehk https://t.co/BeaIFH7d9n
- Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 21, 2026
Still, the question came anyway on Monday: would LSU want to get more backs involved to keep Dilin healthy?
Kiffin’s answer made the point without saying it directly.
“Dilin’s doing really well,” Kiffin said. “Both of the last two games, he ran really well in the second half.
Makes people miss, extends runs. So, yeah, we’d obviously like to play more (backs), if that’s the situation.
But at the same time, too, you get in a game, and sometimes the situations dictate what they dictate.”
The situations have clearly dictated that Jones is the guy.
Jones credits part of that leap to new strength coach Nick Savage, who followed Kiffin from Ole Miss. He said the extra work has sharpened his game.
“I’m just a big, physical back, but the strength staff got me faster,” Jones said. “The extra speed has helped my game a lot.”
He also pointed to new running backs coach Kevin Smith, another former Ole Miss assistant who came with Kiffin. Smith played five seasons in the NFL with Detroit after rushing for 4,864 yards at Central Florida, and Jones said the coaching has helped him make better reads.
“Coach Smith has helped me with the decision making - when to make a cut and when to hit the hole,” Jones said.
Jones also said his role isn’t just about carries.
“It’s what you do without the ball in your hands, too,” Jones said. “Being able to block and run routes.”
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