How Brian Kelly lured Logan Diggs to Notre Dame, and why he is important for LSU football

BATON ROUGE — Coach Brian Kelly remembers how difficult it was to convince Logan Diggs to leave Louisiana.

Kelly, Notre Dame's coach at the time, was looking to add more dynamism to the Fighting Irish's backfield. Although they knew the challenges of trying to lure a Louisiana prospect away from the state, Kelly and his staff liked Diggs' playing style.

"It was pretty evident that he had the skills necessary to play at the highest level," Kelly, now LSU football's coach, said Monday. "And he was a really good student."

The academic opportunities at Notre Dame and the potential to play immediately (Notre Dame's running back room was light on depth at the time, per Kelly) are what enticed Diggs to go from Archbishop Rummel High School to South Bend, Kelly said.

"I think it was probably my incredible personality (that got him to come to Notre Dame)," Kelly said, jokingly.

That relationship between Kelly and Diggs that was fostered through the recruiting trail and in one season at Notre Dame is now paying off for LSU (1-1), as Diggs — who transferred to LSU this offseason after two years in South Bend — rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown in his Tigers debut last Saturday against Grambling State.

"As a kid you dreamed about playing at Louisiana State University," Diggs said after Saturday's win.

Saturday's performance from Diggs, who led LSU in carries with 15, makes him a prime candidate to be the Tigers' lead ball-carrier this weekend when they face Mississippi State to open SEC play on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN).

"He was ready to play and I think we saw the kind of back that is going to help us," Kelly said after Saturday's win.

Kelly didn't announce Monday that Diggs would be LSU's lead back for this week or moving forward. He instead said that LSU's depth allows it to play multiple backs throughout a game and that it'll tend to play the "hot" hand throughout a particular drive, quarter or game.

LSU can afford to do that in part because of its depth at running back, besides Diggs. Josh Williams, Noah Cain and Tre Bradford all saw action in Week 1 with Diggs sitting out (running backs coach Frank Wilson didn't believe he was ready to play coming off a preseason injury, per Kelly).

Armoni Goodwin — who was ruled out for Week 1 due to an injury and didn't play in Week 2 even though he was ruled as eligible to play — could earn more reps this Saturday with a healthy week of practice along with John Emery Jr. Emery has been healthy but sat out the first two weeks of the year (Kelly wouldn't elaborate on why due to the Buckley Amendment).

"I still think that we're in a position to find out who that featured (running back) is," Kelly said.

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However, despite having so many options in its backfield, Diggs should still be LSU's top choice at the position.

LSU added him from the transfer portal despite already having a plethora of options in their backfield. And besides being a more explosive option than Williams (LSU's leading rusher last year), Diggs can be a weapon in the passing game and has lots of playing experience.

Saturday reaffirmed all of that to Kelly, who always knew Diggs could be a leading back when he was breaking tackles at Archbishop Rummel.

"He was somebody that had an edge to him," Kelly said.

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Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Brian Kelly on recruiting Logan Diggs, his value for LSU football