Believe it or not, a player from LSU's 2019 National Championship team is still playing college football. Now with the UTSA Roadrunners, former Tiger running back John Emery Jr. is preparing for his seventh season of college football in 2025. Emery played six seasons with LSU, and landed at UTSA after entering the transfer portal following the 2024 season.
John Emery Jr. starts seventh college football season at UTSA
Emery Jr. is listed as the No. 3 running back on UTSA's depth chart heading into the 2025 season. He saw action in the LSU backfield from 2019-2024. In total, he appeared in 38 games for the Tigers, rushing 223 times for 1,123 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also totaled 330 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 33 catches in the passing game.
He played in just one game for LSU last season, rushing for 61 yards in the opener against USC before an ACL injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. Separate injuries kept him sidelined for the better parts of two seasons, and academic issues kept him off the field for all of 2021.
Playing behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2019, Emery Jr. saw action in 10 games during LSU's National Championship-winning season. He ran for 188 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries while adding 60 receiving yards on six catches.
During his recruitment, Emery Jr. was rated as a five-star prospect by Scout.com, and 247Sports ranked him as the No. 2 running back in the country. As a senior at Destrehan High School, Emery Jr, rushed for 1,693 yards and 26 touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 13-2 record and a spot in the Class 5A state semifinals.
The 2025 college football season will be his last. Emery Jr. and the Roadrunners open the 2025 season on the road at Texas A&M on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET.