LSU's RB Room Could Feature Some Unexpected Results in 2026
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Derrick Henry, Devin Singletary and Quinshon Judkins are the blueprint for Lane Kiffin's single-back offensive scheme. Kewan Lacy bought in and had the best season of his career.
Now, Harlem Berry and Caden Durham decided to stay at LSU and play in Kiffin's offense, and Rod Gainey, Dillin Jones and Stacey Gage also bought into Kiffin's transfer pitch.
The issue for LSU is that Kiffin's one-back scheme meets an insanely deep running back room at LSU.
So do some backs not see the field, or does Kiffin alter his playbook to LSU's strengths?
The Unexpected Depth
Everyone knew the duo of Berry and Durham was already making the running back room crowded with talent for Kiffin's scheme.
But Jones' strong spring practices complicated the playing time issue even more.
The Wisconsin transfer came to Baton Rouge as a depth piece. He was ranked No. 623 overall in the 2026 transfer portal, but he quickly turned the position group upside down in Baton Rouge.
By the middle of the spring practice window, Jones had claimed the majority of first-team reps.
"For a guy that wasn't a headliner, he's played like it," Kiffin said. "He's been good in protection, good in his vision, his feet, running the ball – really a bright spot."
He worked himself into the fold with Berry and Durham, and LSU has a serious, but good, problem on its hands: who gets the majority of reps, or is it time to redraw the playbook a little bit?
A System That Thrives On the Ground Game
The list of running backs that thrived in Kiffin's schemes over the years is long and impressive.
From 2014 to 2016, while serving as Alabama's offensive coordinator, Kiffin crafted the game plan for Henry's dominant college career. In 2015, he rushed for 395 carries, 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns, capturing the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.
It wasn't just Henry, though. Under Kiffin, Judkins became an immediate star, rushing for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman at Ole Miss, followed by 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns the next year. He transferred to Ohio State to finish his college career and was later drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
Lacy, Kiffin's final back at Ole Miss, rushed for 1,279 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns in the Rebels' 2025 playoff run.
There is so much evidence that the run game is key to Kiffin's offense. The single backs have taken prominence as his scheme has modernized.
2026 May See A Throwback Scheme
It wasn't always a single back attack, though.
During his time as offensive coordinator at USC, Kiffin facilitated an explosive two-headed monster in the Trojans' 2005 backfield, featuring Reggie Bush's Heisman-winning 2005 campaign, where he rushed for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching 37 passes for 478 yards and two touchdown catches.
His time was split with Lendale White, who rushed for 1,302 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, catching 14 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
It didn't come at the expense of the passing game, either, as Matt Leinart completed 66% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 28 touchdowns, leading the offense to an average of 49.1 points per game.
If there was a time for Kiffin to bring back the split-back scheme, it would be at LSU.
The talent, history and depth, combined with a chance to make his LSU era a new start, make it perfect for the Tigers to reap the benefits of Kiffin's highly successful 2005 scheme.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/lsu as LSU's RB Room Could Feature Some Unexpected Results in 2026.
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