Position Change: LSU Football Moves a Coveted Louisiana Native Back to Running Back

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Aug 15, 2025 3:27 PM ET

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers wrapped up Day 14 of Fall Camp on Friday morning with the program beginning to see rotations emerge in Baton Rouge.

After nearly three weeks worth of practices, the Bayou Bengals continue taking strides in the right direction with a sole focus on Week 1 at Clemson.

For the LSU program, there has been significant buzz brewing surrounding the running back room after true freshman JT Lindsey was suspended as he navigates a legal matter.

With Lindsey out of the mix, it left the LSU with Caden Durham, Kaleb Jackson and Harlem Berry as the trio of scholarship running backs on roster.

Now, LSU has officially made the move to put sophomore athlete Ju'Juan Johnson back to running back in a near full capacity according to Kelly.

Johnson is used to having the ball in his hands. He holds the Louisiana record for total yards (14,470) and total touchdowns (171) during his high school career.

The Bayou State star was rated as a Top 10 recruit in The Boot coming out of high school in the 2024 class.

But his time in Baton Rouge has significant movement after signing as a defensive back before moving to running back last fall.

Fast forward to Spring Camp in 2025 and Johnson moved to the quarterback room to help with depth in the room.

Across 14 practices in Fall Camp, Johnson has seen reps at quarterback, wide receiver and running back as his skill set looks to get maximized.

Now, Kelly has confirmed that Johnson will primarily work out of the backfield for the Tigers this upcoming season.

"I think he'll be very involved (in the offense)," Kelly said Friday. "I think he's going to be an important part of what we do."

Kelly recently dove into Johnson's versatility and his selflessness that has been on full display since arriving in Baton Rouge.

"He's given everything we've asked him, probably more. He's a special kid. He'll do anything. We got him working at quarterback right now, wide receiver, running back," Kelly said earlier this preseason.

"I think when it comes to making a decision on Ju'Juan it's how far do we go this year with him? Because we didn't redshirt him last year. I want to make sure his time is valuable and impactful.

"Whatever happens with Ju'Juan, he's going to play four games, the question is he going to play five? That will be dictated as he performs and the offense kind of works around him. But we love him and what he's doing for our program."

Now, all eyes will be on the Louisiana native as he competes for reps alongside Durham, Jackson and Berry heading into the 2025 season.