Just when it appeared that hard-luck LSU tailback John Emery Jr. was beginning to see the light, darkness fell again.
Emery, a six-year senior from St. Rose near near New Orleans, showed flashes on Sunday night against USC of finally answering his lofty recruiting rankings of 2019 when he was the No. 1 back in America out of Destrehan High.
He busted a 39-yard run up the middle and rushed 10 times for 61 yards in all during the Tigers’ 27-20 loss – often delivering more punishment to his tacklers than he took. But on Tuesday, Emery suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament tear in his knee in practice and will be lost for the season, an LSU source confirmed to Tiger Rag on Wednesday.
The Baton Rouge Advocate broke the story earlier Wednesday.
Emery was just coming off an ACL tear last season after he gained 121 yards on 23 carries in seven games. Emery entered the transfer portal after last season, but in the end remained at LSU.
In 2022, he played the most of his career, rushing for 375 yards on 76 carries in 11 games and two starts. He missed all of the 2021 season due to academic eligibility issues. In 2020, Emery played in nine games with three starts, rushing for a career-high 378 yards on 75 carries. As a true freshman in 2019, he played in 10 games with no starts and rushed 39 times for 168 yards.
He gained 1,693 yards as a senior at Destrehan in 2018. Originally a commitment to Georgia, he flipped to LSU.
The No. 18 Tigers (0-1) will now have to rely on senior Josh Williams and sophomore Kaleb Jackson out of the backfield. Williams gained 33 yards on nine carries against USC, while Jackson gained 18 on six rushes. LSU hosts Nicholls State (0-1) on Saturday night (6:30 p.m., ESPN+).
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