After starting the 2024 season buried on the depth chart, LSU football freshman running back Caden Durham has quickly turned himself into an unlikely hero after Saturday’s comeback victory over South Carolina.
LSU coach Brian Kelly saw some big things from freshman running back Caden Durham vs. South Carolina
Sometimes, in the beautiful world of college football, all you need is a spark to make some magic happen. It doesn’t necessarily matter where that spark comes from, but rather, the most important thing is that you have at least one player who’s willing, and capable of making it happen.
For LSU on Saturday, there were several players willing and able, and they were a major reason why the Tigers managed to come back from down 17 points to beat South Carolina in Columbia.
One such player was senior edge rusher Bradyn Swinson, who recorded three sacks en route to a career day. Another was redshirt sophomore wide receiver Aaron Anderson, who also put on a career performance, recording five receptions for 96 yards. The veterans were undoubtedly good, maybe even elite in week three, and no one can ever take that day away from them.
With all of that said, though, possibly the most impressive showing on the day came via freshman running back Caden Durham, who in many ways put the offense on his back when the purple and gold couldn’t get anything to go from a scoring perspective.
Recording an efficient 98 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries, Durham averaged 8.9 yards per carry, and according to head coach Brian Kelly, likely earned himself plenty more snaps heading into the remainder of 2024.
“I think we’re still going to have all of those guys that are going to be a part of it, but he certainly saw the things that we were looking for. They were running some things inside with their tackles that were kind of cutting off our combination blocks, which required a patience to bounce that, and he really saw it well and was able to get the ball outside.”
“You can’t teach that. You can talk about it, you can say, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do,’ but you’ve gotta just naturally see it, and so the vision, the wherewithal to do that in game is a positive for him moving forward.”
Entering the 2024 season, it looked unlikely that the former four-star running back would see much time on the football field. With veterans Josh Williams (6th-year senior), Kaleb Jackson (sophomore) and John Emery Jr (6th-year senior), all entering the year with plenty of momentum, the odds just weren’t in his favor.
However, after a season-ending knee injury sidelined Emery Jr, opportunities were starting to arise for true freshman Caden Durham, and when he received his chance on Saturday, he more than took advantage of it.
While it’s unlikely that he’ll overtake either Williams or Jackson for their spots in the rotation at any point this season, he’s clearly shown the coaching staff that he’s simply too good to keep off the field. If anything, it’s just a matter of figuring out the best ways to properly utilize him, similarly to how they worked with now star linebacker Harold Perkins Jr just two years ago in his first season withe the program.
Durham will likely get his next opportunity in week four, as LSU football returns to the field this Saturday, September 21, 2024, with Big Ten foe UCLA traveling to Baton Rouge, LA, for a battle in Tiger Stadium. The game will take place at 2:30 p.m. CST and will be available to watch live on ABC or ESPN+.
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