Another day has come and gone and with it so too has another LSU Tiger left the program.
Junior running back Kaleb Jackson is the latest Tiger to enter his name into the transfer portal, joining Ashton
Stamps, Ahmad Breaux, Ju’Juan Johnson, and Kylan Billiot. Johnson will have two years remaining.
Jackson is a local kid, prepping at Liberty High just a few minutes away from LSU’s campus. Coming out of Liberty, Jackson was a consensus top-10 running back in the country and signed with LSU’s 2023 class that was ranked No. 4 in the country.
It didn’t take Jackson long to make a name for himself. Jackson had a couple of bulldozing runs in 2023 against Mississippi State and Auburn that led many to believe, myself included, LSU had a future Leonard Fournette waiting in the wings.
Instead, Jackson never delivered upon that freshman year promise. As a freshman Jackson carried the ball 31 times for 165 yards and scored four touchdowns. In the two years since 2023, he’s rushed for a combined 166 yards including just seven carries this season. Jackson averaged 5.3 yards per carry in 2023, but nearly two yards fewer (3.4) in 2024.
The immediate future of LSU’s running back is in a dire situation as the Tigers now only have two scholarship backs on the roster: Harlem Berry and Caden Durham. Jackson’s hitting the portal, Ju’Juan Johnson, who moonlighted as a running back this year, is in the portal, and JT Lindsey is still indefinitely suspended as he sorts out his legal issue. LSU also did not sign a high school running back in the Early Signing Period and it doesn’t appear there’s one on their radar for the February window. Lane Kiffin and whoever ends up being LSU’s running backs coach (Frank Wilson, Kevin Smith, or someone else entirely) is going to have to add at least two running backs once the transfer portal window opens on January 2.
