The transfer portal is officially open, as Lane Kiffin has made us all aware, and sophomore running back Caden Durham has officially put his name in.
Durham is the latest notable Tiger skill position player to put his name into the portal, following Kyle Parker who announced his intention on Friday.
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Durham had a great freshman season in 2024. The four-star, top-5 running back in the class of 2024 was the SEC’s Offensive Freshman of the Year after rushing for 753 yards and averaged 5.4 yards a carry. His 753 rushing yards was the most among SEC freshman and good for 10th in the conference, and did all that despite dislocating two of his toes.
Durham was expected to be one of the top backs in not just the SEC, but the entire country coming into 2025 and despite LSU’s poor offensive line and Joe Sloan getting fired midway through the season, Durham averaged a respectable 505 yards on 111 carries (4.5 yards per carry). Through 24 games and 12 starts, Durham has amassed a total of 1,609 yards from scrimmage and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Durham’s departure isn’t all the surprising, but LSU’s in a real uncomfortable position roster wise. Now that Kaleb Jackson and Durham have entered the portal, LSU only has one (1) scholarship running back on the roster***: Harlem Berry. The entire offensive side of the ball needs to be restocked, and LSU’s going to have to add two or three running backs to be able to make it through the 2026 season, but fortunately they’re already working on it.
***note: they also only have one scholarship quarterback on the roster, but one thing at a time!
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The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander reports that LSU is hosting UC Davis running back Carter Vargas, who ran for 445 yards and five touchdowns in his sophomore season. There’s also, of course, the looming possibility of a certain Ole Miss running back that might make his way over to Baton Rouge once the Rebel season ends.
