Speed kills, and power destroys, but what happens if a player possesses both attributes? For reference, ask Isaac Smith, Mississippi State’s safety who was bulldozed after attempting to tackle LSU freshman Kaleb Jackson.
Despite his age, Jackson’s potential as a running back has a lot of people wondering if he’s the next man up.
Jackson has been very efficient; through sixteen carries he averages 5.1 yards per attempt and two touchdowns. Despite his limited number of carries, he has produced and shown he can compete in the SEC.
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Jackson was a four-star recruit out of Liberty Magnet High School where he was a two-sport athlete, playing football and running track. In his sophomore year, Jackson recorded a blazing 10.66 in the 100-meter dash. That’s scary speed, and considering he’s bulked up to 225 pounds, the Tigers could have landed themselves the next Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor was a three-year starter for the Wisconsin Badgers. He recorded back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons, as well as back-to-back seasons with more total touchdowns than their starting quarterback. As a three-year starter in the NFL, Taylor has maintained his dominance.
Athletically speaking, Jackson and Taylor are similar. Taylor is 5 feet 10 inches, 226 pounds, and he ran a quick 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Jackson, a true freshman, is two inches taller and one pound lighter. Jackson almost perfectly matches Taylor’s athletic profile, yet he’ll most likely never have an opportunity to match Taylor’s production.
There’s not a single player in LSU history with more career carries than Taylor. Leonard Fournette, arguably the greatest back in LSU history, had one season with 300 carries. Taylor had three straight.
LSU’s offense is designed to make sure Jackson won’t face the same workload as Taylor. In terms of production, it’s unlikely he’ll match Taylor’s numbers. However, in terms of efficiency, Jackson has the chance to outperform Taylor.
Taylor’s duality in size and speed is what made him hard to stop. He’s a dynamic runner, which made opposing defenses unable to predict his decisions. No matter what you did, Taylor would gain yardage. Jackson has the ability to match this playstyle; throw anything at him, he’ll still produce.
Physical backs are typically over 220 pounds and are dealt with by stacking the box. Linebackers come close to the line of scrimmage while safeties play within eight yards of the line, and both groups focus exclusively on the running back. Three linebackers and two safeties plus four defensive linemen help the defense match the back’s physicality.
Elusive backs usually weigh slightly above 200 pounds and use their speed and acceleration to slip tackles. Speedier backs have a better chance at evading all five defensemen and slipping into the endzone, so teams avoid stacking the box against them. Having linebackers play with space and safeties play further out is the general way to contain these backs.
Whenever a back possesses both attributes, they become almost unstoppable. Stacking the box? Jackson will use his speed to escape the defenders. Playing with space? He’ll use his size to win one on one matchups. He has the athletic tools to be great, and he just proved he knows how to use them.
LSU was on its own 24-yard, facing a second-and-11. With 1:53 left in the third quarter, Jackson received his first carry of the game. Mississippi State, expecting a run, had its deepest safety eight yards out. Three linebackers and a safety crashed, three defensive backs were in man coverage, and the free safety played a deep zone.
The free safety became the victim here. He bailed from his zone once he identified the run, attempting to make a first-down-saving tackle. However, Smith was unaware that Jackson knows how to use his athleticism.
Jackson received the hand off and ran left toward a block that True freshman Mac Markway set up. This opened a hole where the block was set. Jackson faked going into the gap before bouncing back out. He broke out wide and used his physicality to stiff arm the crashing safety.
After, he used his speed to accelerate around the edge and run down the sideline. His speed coupled with his size sent him crashing through the oncoming tackler, creating the viral clip.
The initial hole was a ploy by the defense. If he would’ve committed to the inside, a defensive-linemen, linebacker and a free safety would’ve been waiting. Jackson saw the defense needed him to move inside, noted it and faked in.
This caused the defensive lineman to fall, removing him from the play, and gave Jackson time to wait for something to open on the outside. In this play, Jackson showed he’s able to exploit defenses, read coverages and have patience.
He has potential and has been efficient, explosive and smart. He should be the starting back moving forward, right?
Although the name might suggest otherwise, running backs do more than just run the ball. Prowess in the passing game, whether it’s catching or blocking, is crucial to LSU’s offense.
While Jackson has shown potential as a receiver, his ability as a blocker is concerning. His development has been noticed, but there’s room to improve, according to head coach Brian Kelly.
“You saw what Diggs and Williams were able to do in third down protections against a very difficult scheme, Kaleb was not ready for that,” Kelly said.
Pass blocking is a crucial element to a running back’s game. A back who can block sets up big plays by giving more time and saving his quarterback from big hits. He becomes more dynamic by adding another element defenses have to account for. Jackson will have to hone this skill to be considered a starter, but everyone around him is confident he’ll master this concept.
The Tigers clearly have a plan for Jackson. He’s shown plenty of potential in his ability to process defenses and use raw athleticism to manipulate them. He still has a lot to improve, but his efficiency as a runner has been noticed by the staff.
