One of the most intriguing positions that has gotten a lot of attention as of late has been the running backs.
When Lane Kiffin was hired, people immediately looked to his 1,500 yard and 24 touchdown back in Oxford as someone who could follow him to Baton Rouge, instead, he chose to remain at Ole Miss. This gave Kiffin some room to grow the room that initially looked like it would need more depth but has instead turned into an all out battle for a starting position.
So let’s evaluate the running backs who are in the running to be the number one back in the Charlie Weis Jr. offense.
The new guy is setting the pace in LSU’s crowded backfield
When Dilin Jones arrived in Baton Rouge after spending two years with the Wisconsin Badgers, he was not really seen as a guy that could compete for a number one job compared to the other transfer portal running backs and LSU’s two leading rushers in 2025. But Jones came in and showed why he has been the guy to beat out for the starting position. He earned the starting job at Wisconsin and showed why.
He has the ability to put his foot in the turf and cut back without losing much burst, keeps his feet moving forward after initial contact is made, and his ability to squeeze through a tight rush lane without getting touched is what running backs coach, Kevin Smith, is looking for in a back. But that’s not even the best part about him, it’s his ability to be physical as a blocking back, he’s dominated in pass pro vs the linebackers and he put it on full display during team periods dating back to spring.
For a guy that stands at 5 '11”, 211 pounds, Jones is the ideal size that will be needed in this offense and has incredible speed that will be hard to top in comparison to the rest of the running backs.
LSU has plenty of ways to unleash Harlem Berry in 2026
The former number one running back in the class of 2025 returned to LSU for his second year and Charlie Weis Jr. has a lot of things he could do with his skill set. Berry’s athleticism makes him a versatile weapon and could be thrown in a lot of different formations and positions like WR or play that role of a checkdown back out of the backfield.
Harlem Berry has not gotten a lot of attention as the featured back because of the emergence of Dilin Jones, but make no mistake, he earned his place as the number one running back in the country for a reason.
He runs with authority and knows how to turn on that second gear whenever he bursts into the secondary, his athleticism is going to pay dividends in this offense and knowing how Charlie Weis Jr. has used his running backs dating back to his days with Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic, do not be surprised if Harlem Berry ends up with 20 to 25 catches on the year.
Caden Durham went from LSU’s leading rusher to fighting for touches
The back to back leading rusher for the Tigers, Caden Durham returns to the backfield for LSU after initially entering the transfer portal but then withdrawing his name a few days later.
Durham dealt with a right ankle sprain throughout 2025 and did not have the same acceleration and power that he displayed during SEC play in 2024, but when he is healthy, he has the ability to be one of the best running backs in the SEC and could play anywhere in the country.
He’s expected to be the number three guy coming out of fall camp, but he has displayed the power that he had during his freshman season, but has still struggled with finding open holes that his offensive line had given him in spring. He still has a few weeks to fix some of these issues but it is still a concern which could limit how much he touches the football, but expect him to still make a difference this year in the red zone.
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