LSU brought in Dilin Jones to help fix a running game that never really threatened last season, and the Wisconsin transfer may arrive in the opener as more than a depth piece. Jones has looked good since getting to Baton Rouge, and LSU may lean on him more than it first planned when it faces Clemson on Saturday.
That matters because LSU’s rushing attack averaged 104 rushing yards per game last season, the lowest mark in the SEC, and the team has spent the run-up to the 2026 season remaking the roster around Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge. Jones is part of that overhaul, alongside incoming transfers such as Sam Leavitt, Jordan Seaton, Princewill Umanmielen and TJ Dottery, but his fit is different from some of the flashier names. He was brought in to infuse energy into the run game, and his style is described as more balanced and consistent than LSU’s other backs.
That profile gives Jones a real chance to matter right away. LSU does not need a decorative addition in the backfield; it needs someone who can stabilize a rushing attack that was too easy to flatten a year ago. If Jones delivers what he has shown in Baton Rouge, he could become a bigger piece of the offense than expected, especially in a first game that will test how quickly the new pieces can settle in.
Clemson makes that test more interesting because its rush defense is also being rebuilt, with Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart gone to the NFL and Stephylan Green no longer in the rotation. The interior is in transition, which gives LSU a chance to find out whether Jones is merely an underrated addition or the kind of runner who changes how the offense is shaped on Saturday.
The safest read is that LSU will not hide him if he keeps separating from the pack in practice. The more telling question is how quickly Kiffin trusts Jones when the season starts, because the answer will say as much about LSU’s offense as the opener itself.
