Ranking LSU’s top 10 running back recruits since 2000
LSU stakes a strong claim as “Defensive Back University,” but it may have a decent case for the title of RBU, as well.
The Tigers have boasted many talented ball-carriers during their illustrious history. From Dalton Hilliard to Kevin Faulk to Leonard Fournette to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the ground game has been a major part of this program’s identity throughout its lifetime.
Many of these players joined LSU’s team before the advent of modern recruiting services — namely the 247Sports Composite, which dates back to 2000 — but since the turn of the millennium, the Tigers have had no shortage of elite running back prospects come through campus.
Earlier this offseason, LSU Wire took a look at the best quarterback recruits the program has ever signed. Now, we’re breaking down the top-10 running back signees since 2000, two of whom were five-star recruits.
Kenny Hilliard (2011)
Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 114
State: No. 7
RB: No. 8
Overview
[autotag]Kenny Hilliard[/autotag] — nephew of Dalton Hilliard — was one of LSU’s primary ballcarriers for four years from 2011-14, earning SEC All-Freshman honors as a freshman on LSU’s SEC Championship team in 2011.
He would appear in 48 games for the Tigers but never led the team in carries or yards. He was ultimately a seventh-round pick for the Houston Texans and spent three years on their practice squad. He would later spend one season on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad and one with the Memphis Express of the AAF.
Armoni Goodwin (2021)
AP Photo/Matthew Hinton
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 95
State: No. 6
RB: No. 7
Overview
[autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] is the youngest player on this list, and the jury is still out on the rising sophomore. He took 16 carries for 65 yards and no touchdowns as a true freshman, but he could see an increase in carries this fall with the graduation of [autotag]Ty Davis-Price[/autotag].
The Alabama native scored a touchdown in LSU’s spring game, and he’ll hope to have a career that lives up to his top-100 designation coming out of high school.
Derron Parquet (2000)
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 97
State: No. 3
RB: No. 12
Overview
[autotag]Derron Parquet[/autotag] played for Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, Louisiana, and he signed with LSU in 2000. He redshirted his first season and saw just 15 carries his second season before transferring to Memphis and later NAIA (now FCS) Lindenwood University.
In 2017, Parquet passed away at the age of 35.
Charles Scott (2006)
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 61
State: No. 2
RB: No. 14
Overview
[autotag]Charles Scott[/autotag] was born in Tampa but attended Hodge High School in Jonesboro, Louisiana. After two seasons as a backup in 2006 and 2007 — in which he still netted five touchdowns apiece — he went on to lead LSU in rushing in 2008 and 2009, becoming a First Team All-SEC selection in the former year.
He finished his LSU career with 424 carries, 2,317 yards and 32 touchdowns. He was a sixth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles but was traded to the Arizona Cardinals before his rookie season started. He was signed by the New York Giants, whose practice squad he later joined before retiring following the 2011 season.
Michael Ford (2009)
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 44
State: No. 3
RB: No. 5
Overview
Despite only starting five games in his career at LSU, [autotag]Michael Ford[/autotag] finished as the leading rusher in 2011 and was second in the SEC in kickoff returns as a junior in 2012 with 27.5 yards per runback. He finished his career with 1,3922 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 243 carries.
He went undrafted in 2013 but spent his rookie season with the Chicago Bears. After he was released in 2014, he spent a brief offseason stint with the Falcons and also appeared in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Rough Riders from 2015-16.
Joseph Addai (2001)
Photo by Dale Zanine USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2005 Dale Zanine
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 64
State: No. 6
RB: No. 13
Overview
[autotag]Joseph Addai[/autotag] was an option quarterback coming out of high school in Houston, but he primarily played as a blocking fullback while at LSU. In spite of that, he ranks fifth all-time in rushing yards for the Tigers with 2,577. He was a member of the national title team in 2003.
His final season in 2005 was his most productive as he finished with 911 yards and nine touchdowns, both career highs. The 30th overall pick in 2006 for the Indianapolis Colts, he spent his entire career playing with Peyton Manning aside from an offseason stint with New England in 2012. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2007 and won Super Bowl XLI.
Derrius Guice (2015)
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 45
State: No. 2
RB: No. 5
Overview
A Baton Rouge native, Guice began his career playing second fiddle behind Fournette in 2015. However, he saw a lot of action due to Fournette’s injury in 2016 and finished as a First Team All-SEC selection with 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Injuries limited him to start his junior season in 2017, but he still finished with more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns while making the Second Team All-SEC list. A second-round pick for Washington, he missed all of his rookie season in 2018 with a torn ACL suffered in the first preseason game.
Despite another season marred by injuries, he showed promise in 2019. However, he was waived by the team in 2020 as a result of legal issues and hasn’t appeared in the league since. LSU subsequently disassociated from him, and he is indefinitely banned from the athletic facilities. His name was also removed from the team’s record book.
Keiland Williams (2006)
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 40
State: No. 4
RB: No. 11
Overview
[autotag]Keiland Williams[/autotag] signed in the same class as Scott and was higher rated coming out of high school, but he wasn’t ultimately quite as productive. A backup his whole career, he still finished with 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns on 299 carries.
He played two stints with Washington and one with the Detroit Lions from 2010-12 and last appeared on a roster before the 2013 season. He had 459 yards and five touchdowns on 125 carries in addition to two touchdowns through the air.
John Emery Jr. (2019)
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 13
State: No. 2
RB: No. 2
Overview
The second active player on this list and first five-star, [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] enters the 2022 season with high expectations. He showed signs of promise in his first two seasons despite limited opportunities, totaling seven touchdowns in that span.
He missed all of 2021 due to academic ineligibility which certainly had a major impact on LSU’s success in the run game (or lack thereof). Emery is expected to be the lead back this fall, and the Tigers will hope he looks like the second-best running back recruit they’ve ever signed.
Leonard Fournette (2014)
Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Composite Rankings
National: No. 1
State: No. 1
RB: No. 1
Overview
There was little doubt that Fournette, a New Orleans native, would ultimately sign with LSU coming out of high school, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a huge deal at the time to land the nation’s top recruit.
When healthy, Fournette completely lived up to that billing in college. He cracked 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns as a true freshman in the SEC in 2014, and he finished just 47 yards shy of 2,000 as a sophomore in 2015 while notching an unbelievable 22 touchdowns — both school records. He finished sixth in Heisman voting that fall and was a Consensus All-American and First Team All-SEC selection.
Fournette’s junior season in 2016 was his least productive, as he appeared in just seven games due to injury and notched just 843 yards and eight touchdowns. Still, he finished as a Second Team All-SEC pick and was drafted fourth overall in 2017 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He ran for over 1,000 yards as a rookie while playing an integral role for a Jaguars team that finished just shy of a trip to the Super Bowl. He was limited by injuries the following season but finished with a career-high 1,152 yards in 2019.
Still, due to inconsistency and questions about his long-term health, the Jags didn’t pick up his fifth-year option and ultimately waived him after they couldn’t get a trade done. He landed in Tampa Bay, where he won a Super Bowl in 2020. Despite a quiet season, he played a major role in the Buccaneers’ playoff run.
Fournette finished with 812 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021, and his career resurgence with Tom Brady and the Bucs will continue this fall.
