Ever since Brian Kelly's arrival one area of the offense has been a clear issue that's stuck around the past three seasons. The LSU Offense has struggled mightily to find a consistent rushing attack despite having solid offensive line. The only success LSU has seen running the football has come when Jayden Daniels would run the football.
Heading into 2025, LSU has made it priority to improve in the running game by the actions they've taken. This offseason, LSU hired Florida State offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins to coach tight ends and coordinate the rushing attack. The Tigers also went out and signed two top ten running backs in JT Lindsey and the Nation's top running back recruit Harlem Berry.
After Saturday's Spring Practice, Brian Kelly spoke to the media, and to open up the press conference he was asked about his running backs.
Brian Kelly was asked about what he's seeing from the running back room, especially Caden Durham and Kaleb Jackson but, his jump to instantly talk about Harlem Berry should have LSU fans excited to see the True Freshman.
"I think add Harlem to that as well. He's getting a lot of reps. He's a young, talented back. Then add Harlem Berry into it who's just figuring out the offense. But you can tell he's extremely talented and now it's just a matter of him learning the offense and putting some coat of armor on him."Brian Kelly
After talking about Harlem Berry, Brian Kelly talked about Caden Durham and why this Spring is important for his development as he learns the new aspects of the offense with Alex Atkins redesigning the run game.
"But go to Caden. The good part about it is he's healthy. But we're doing some things in the spring that are first-time things. So the spring for him is really about getting some looks. And you guys are out there and you can see what we're doing. I don't want to give away anything. But those things that we're really focusing on, they're new looks for him. He's got to get comfortable in that because that's going to be featured within our offensive structure."Brian Kelly
Finally, Brian Kelly spoke on Kaleb Jackson and how this Spring has gone, especially after Jackson didn't have the year everyone thought he would after an impressive offseason.
"As it relates to Kaleb, this has been more about him acclimatizing to his weight and he's done a great job. He struggled last year with his size and volume. He's been great this spring. He's really crossed that hurdle. "Brian Kelly
The optimism surrounding the rushing attack is great to hear, but the team still needs to show the results on the field. The ground game should take a massive jump just because Caden Durham will be healthier, coming off of his foot injury playing with a steel plate in his shoe. Adding pieces like Harlem Berry and JT Lindsey to the room only brings competition, as the two could get significant carries early on.
The biggest question will be around the offensive line, as the Tigers lost four of five offensive linemen to the NFL Draft. LSU brought in two veteran transfers on the interior, but LSU will need to replace both offensive tackles, which is a tall task.
The X factor in improving the rushing attack may be the coaching staff and how they handle the rushing attack. At the end of the season, Brian Kelly was involved in the play calling, and the Tigers did show signs of improvement. Now that Alex Atkins has joined the staff, he brings experience as a play-caller, which should help Joe Sloan in his second season as a play caller.
The season opens up on the road against a Clemson team with College Football Playoff expectations, and if the rushing attack isn't up to par, a daunting task gets even tougher.
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