LSU Freshmen Running Backs Corey Kiner, Armoni Goodwin Making Most of Fall Camp Reps

It's been known for a while how much Ed Orgeron and this coaching staff is hoping it finally all comes together for Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery. 

The two highly recruited, high profile running backs have had a very up and down start to their careers but Orgeron has stayed consistent in his belief in both players. This past spring was supposed to be their coming out party but both dealt with injury throughout.

Heading into fall camp, all signs are that the two have taken significant strides and are ready to consume the majority of the running back reps. But now there is a little more competition as both freshmen Corey Kiner and Armoni Goodwin are on campus and showing out in the early days of fall camp. 

Neither freshman is particularly tall but they're very compact, have a low center of gravity and can cut, get to the outside or run through the middle with great power. Orgeron has been impressed with how both players have come in and adjusted to the college game. 

"Armoni's been making some big plays," Orgeron said. "He's smooth, he's fast, he can get to the edge. Runs over the middle, but he avoids tackles. Can go side by side fast. He's good with the ball in his hands."

Goodwin is perhaps known as the speedier, shifty running back while Kiner has drawn comparisons to Clyde Edwards-Helaire because of his tree trunk legs and explosive running blend of power and agility. Orgeron says Kiner needed to adjust to the pads initially but has really picked it up over the course of the first week and change of fall camp.

"Corey's a physical back. Corey didn't show out as much as Armoni did when we didn't get the pads on, but last two days of pads, Corey's showed out," Orgeron said. "It's hard to tackle him because he has such a lower body. Very good between the belly and the thighs. He has a good trunk, lower center of gravity is what I wanted to say. He's hard. He's got big shoulders. He showed out today now, he's hard to tackle."

Kiner finished his career at Roger Bacon High School in Ohio as a top 10 running back in rushing yards, with 7,130 yards over his career and third in scoring with 772 points. Goodwin rushed for 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama. 

It's hard to imagine LSU won't start the season with Emery and Davis-Price as the primary focus points of the running game. But those non-conference games are a chance for players further on the depth chart like Kiner and Goodwin to show they can be relied on come SEC play. 

This is a position group where rotation could very well fluctuate throughout the course of the season, just like it did in 2020. The two freshmen are right on the heels of the two veterans, which is making the competition fierce as that Sept. 4 opener draws closer.