The 2026 class of running backs already appears to be loaded at the top, with Justice Haynes and Cedric Baxter establishing themselves as prominent players for their respective teams in 2023. While I expect both to continue to spearhead the class as sophomores in the upcoming season, Kaleb Jackson, out of LSU, is one of my favorite prospects who could push for the top tier at the position.
High School
Coming out of high school, Kaleb Jackson was listed at 5’10, 200 lbs. After one season in the LSU weight room, he has bumped himself up to 6’0, 225 lbs. according to the LSU website. He was the top-rated running back prospect out of Louisiana for the class of 2023 and was listed by 247 as the 10th-best running back in the class. He broke out in high school during the 2021 season, rushing for 2,031 yards and 29 touchdowns in only 11 games of action. He was also a dual-sport athlete, running the 100-meter dash in only 10.89 seconds.
He earned several offers from blue bloods in the college football world with these gaudy stats, including Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M. Of course, he chose his hometown Tigers as the team he wished to play for during his college career.
Scouting Report
His speed on the track translates well to the football field, as he was clocked several times over 20 MPH in high school. He routinely outran defenders and showcased his ability to take it the distance on his high school tape (you probably aren’t rushing for 2,000+ yards without this being the case). While this trait hasn’t been completely apparent on the college football field yet, I expect we will see some highlight-reel runs this upcoming season. He is also built with a frame that makes me excited to project him onto the next level. Having that speed at 225 pounds is tantalizing as a prospect. I will be keeping a close eye on his weight, however, as anything heavier becomes a bit more concerning to me (see Raheim Sanders). Attached are a few of the athletic comps for Kaleb Jackson.
My initial concerns with him coming into college were his physicality, power, and vision. In my opinion, he tends to bounce runs outside far more often than he should. In high school, he wasn’t asked to be a powerful runner and was able to use his speed to his advantage. He quickly proved that he is capable of finishing runs with power, though, as seen with the clip I’ve listed below from the game against Mississippi State this season. I will be paying attention this year as he garners more touches to see if he has improved his vision on cutbacks and setting up his blocks.
Click link for full video and tweet*
Freshman Year
Jackson was on a loaded LSU offense last season that sent Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas off to the NFL this year. Due to Daniels’ legs and the large majority of the offense being run through Nabers and Thomas, the running game was not needed as much in 2023 as it will be next year. Garrett Nussmeier, the presumed starting quarterback for the Tigers next season, is not nearly the runner Jayden Daniels was. Additionally, the receiving room will be led by two transfers, CJ Daniels (Liberty) and Zavion Thomas (Mississippi State), along with unproven options that were already in the room. It isn’t a stretch to believe that the Tigers will be relying much more heavily on the running game to win football games.
Despite being a freshman surrounded by NFL talent, Jackson was still able to make his touches count. He rushed for 165 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He also added six catches for 53 yards, showcasing that he can be a threat in both aspects of the offense.
Future Projection
As a team, LSU ran the ball 430 times last season. Of those 430 touches, 328 are moving on to different situations. The depth chart has thinned out considerably with all the departures, leaving a massive opportunity for a young running back to fill. I have listed the 2023 depth chart below, showing where each player is headed next year.
- Jayden Daniels -> NFL draft
- Logan Diggs -> transferred to Ole Miss
- Josh Williams -> returning
- Noah Cain -> NFL draft
- John Emery Jr. -> NFL draft
- Trey Holly -> arrested, legal issues pending
- Tre Bradford -> transferred to North Texas
It would be foolish to assume that LSU would get to training camp with only Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson at the position. I fully expect them to bring in some additional talent besides incoming 4-star freshman Caden Durham during the spring transfer window in April. What I do not expect, however, is for them to bring in a player that will jump either of the aforementioned and established running backs on the depth chart. This would leave Williams and Jackson as the two primary ball carriers. Assuming he gets between ⅓ to ½ of the carries, Jackson will see his workload increase from 31 carries in 2023 to ~178 carries in 2024. At 5.3 yards per carry (which we can reasonably project to be higher due to his game-breaking speed), we will see him eclipse 1,000 total yards in the upcoming year.
At this point, Kaleb Jackson is my RB3 in the 2026 class, behind only Justice Haynes and Cedric Baxter. He also comes in at RB8 among all current running back prospects for my devy rankings. I am extremely excited to see what he continues to develop into at LSU during the 2024 season. He possesses the perfect combination of size, speed, and pass-catching ability to be a bell-cow NFL back in a few years.
Thank you for reading; if you have any thoughts or questions and would like to discuss them, you can reach out to me on Twitter @Evan_Kerr_. #DFFArmy #Devy #AlwaysBeBuilding
