LSU veteran RB done for rest of 2024 season after practice injury

Following a tough loss to USC in the team's 2024 season opener this past Sunday , LSU was presented with some additional disappointment on Tuesday when veteran running back John Emery Jr. went down with a knee injury in practice.

According to ESPN's Mark Schlabach, Emery suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, ending his season with the Tigers.

It's extra devastating for the LSU running back, as he had just recovered from tearing the ACL in his right knee in the middle of last season. So, instead of helping the Tigers compete for a spot in this year's 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, Emery will need to spend the next handful of months recovering from another severe knee injury.

His latest knee injury is heartbreaking because he was coming off an intriguing performance in LSU's Week 1 loss to USC. In the matchup, Emery rushed for 61 yards on 10 carries (6.1 average) and caught one pass for 10 yards.

It seemed like he would play a significant role in the Tigers' offense this season, but now, his time with the school might have abruptly ended.

Emery has been attending LSU since 2019, and while he hasn't performed at an elite level, he has still been able to put up solid numbers during his time at the school.

In 38 career games with the Tigers, he's accumulated 1,453 total yards, averaged 5.6 yards per touch, and scored 16 touchdowns, which includes eight trips to the end zone in 2022.

Emery could be granted another year of eligibility and return to LSU for the 2025 season. He'll have a lot of time to think about it, but there's a chance his career with the Tigers isn't over yet.

With this latest injury, it wouldn't be shocking if Emery is considering whether he wants to continue playing football. Severe injuries are not only painful for a player's physical health, but they typically have a large impact on a player's mental health as well.

Does Emery want to go through another long recovery process to return to the football field, knowing that his risk of re-injury is much higher now following his most recent knee injury?

This is a big question that the veteran running back will have to answer soon while he watches LSU from afar for the rest of the 2024 season as they compete for a College Football Playoff National Championship.