by Ryan Rogers
LSU Sports Information
BATON ROUGE — LSU has had a tradition of quality runningbacks in the past. The position, one of the most high-profile positions in sports, has been filled by quality players over the years at LSU. The last two decades alone have produced five of LSUs Top 10 all-time rushers. Including the likes of Kevin Faulk 95-99, Harvey Williams 86-90, Dalton Hillard 82-85, Garry James 82-85 and Eddie Fuller 86-89.
One would be remiss not to mention that LSUs lone Heisman Trophy winner was also a runningback — the legend himself, Billy Cannon.
The interesting thing about the strength in runningback for LSU is that they have come in bunches, often providing several multi-talented runningbacks on the LSU roster at one time. Evidence of this is that Dalton Hillard and Garry James played on the same team along with Eddie Fuller and Harvey Williams who were teammates. Just a few years ago, Kevin Faulk had a few talented backups including Rondell Mealey, Cecil Collins and Kendall Cleveland.
In a lesser known group, Curley Hallman’s Tigers actually had five All-America high school runningbacks on the roster in the early 90s. Even more incredible is the fact that they all came to Baton Rouge in the same recruiting class: Jay Johnson from Texas, Robert Davis from Alabama, Robert Toomer from Georgia, Kevin Franklin and David Butler from Louisiana all chose LSU in 1990.
This year’s corps is no different. Although they lack depth at the moment, the Tiger running backs are very talented.
Domanick Davis, 5-10 207, showed Tiger fans last year what he was capable off. The second team freshmen All-American and freshmen All-SEC performer will be a gamebreaker for LSU next year. In the Alabama game, he caught a screen pass and was immediately hit. He then dragged five Alabama defenders 10 yards and picked up a crucial first down. If Davis isnt a player with heart and determination then no one is.
Davis was a two-way star at Breaux Bridge High School. He was actually the 3A state defensive MVP. He was ranked the No. 29 recruit in the nation by Sporting News.
Davis looked very impressive in spring drills. His quick cutbacks remind observers of Kevin Faulk. Davis is very strong and has good speed. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield makes him the workhorse running back that all coaches want.
LaBrandon Toefield will see his share of carries next year for the Tigers and provides a nice compliment to Davis. The highly touted back from Independence, La., redshirted last year. Toefield is a bruising runner and could be a very good compliment to Davis’s scat-back running style. He has battled injuries in spring with a high ankle sprain. He really hasn’t been able to show how good he is yet. But, when he has practiced he’s done well. Toefield is one of the players on LSU’s roster in which the spring game will be very important for him to have a good performance.
Tommy Banks should have a bigger role for LSU next year. After being used primarily as a blocker the past two years, Tiger fans hope to see more images of Banks like the one of him diving across the goal line against Florida in his freshman season in 1997.
Banks was the premier fullback in the nation coming out of West Monroe after the 1996 season. He rushed for 222 yards against Catholic High in the state semifinals and matched that with a 195-yard explosion in the state championship game against Carencro, leading the Rebels to the title. Overall he racked up 2,284 yards rushing from the fullback position nonetheless. In spite these numbers, Banks has not been utilized in the Tigers offense as a runner the past two seasons.
Realistically, running the football is definitely a secondary role for Banks. His primary job is to block. Banks has steadily improved his blocking and is just the fullback LSU needs to lead their talented tailbacks through holes.
Backing up Banks at fullback will be Georgia Tech transfer Michael Lillie, 6-3 238. Lillie, former tight-end has made the transition to fullback this spring. Lillie prepped at John Curtis High School in River Ridge, La. He is a solid blocker and a good receiver out of the backfield. Lillie had a good spring. He will be a solid backup for Banks next fall.
Elice Parker, 6-0 224, is the third tailback on the roster at the moment. Already a strong runner, he has improved his speed from a year ago. He is a hard worker, which is a testament to his military background. He may be needed if injuries occur in the backfield.
An incoming freshmen who may be counted on to fill the biggest role is Derron Parquet, 6-0 205, The runningback from Archbishop Rummel could make a huge impact next fall. He was rated as the No. 6 runningback in the nation last recruiting season by CNN-SI, and he is the New Orleans Catholic Leagues all-time leading rusher. This is extremely impressive when you consider the runningbacks that district has produced in the past. The New Orleans district is also notorious for being one of the toughest districts in the nation.
Parquet accumulated 2,211 yards his senior year at Rummel. He runs the forty in a 4.4 and is already adequate size to play in the SEC. He wont have to worry about beefing up too much in the offseason before joining LSU.
Devery Henderson, 6-1 185, is a second high-profile runningback enrolling in LSU this fall. He was rated the fourth-best runningback in the South by Superprep, and was aggressively recruited by the likes of Georgia, Florida St. and Tennessee. He may end up moving to receiver once he arrives at LSU. His best skill is his speed. He runs a 4.3 40-yard dash. Henderson will also be a member of the LSU track team..
Another incoming freshmen that will add depth to the position is Bruslys Randall Gay. The 6-0 185-pound runner put up very similar numbers to his predecessor Brusly High, Norman LeJeune. LeJeunes turned out to be a solid player on defense for LSU as a true freshmen.
The Tigers will once again field a team with gifted runners. The freshmen will be counted on to provide depth very early. Thank the coaching staff for doing an excellent job in recruiting three high quality running backs. The major knock on the group is inexperience. LSU will have four freshmen and a sophomore in the backfield next year. However, running back is one of those positions in which raw talent can often make up for inexperience. The Tigers shouldnt have to worry about that factor.
| No. | Name | Pos. | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| 24 | Elice Parker | RB | So. | 5-11 | 221 | Zachary, La. |
| 31 | Domanick Davis | RB | So. | 5-10 | 207 | Breaux Bridge, La. |
| 35 | Jeremy Burnham | FB | Fr. | 5-10 | 192 | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 36 | Reese Angelette | FB | Fr. | 5-11 | 212 | Brusly, La. |
| 41 | LaBrandon Toefield | RB | Fr. | 6-0 | 224 | Independence, La. |
| 43 | Tommy Banks | FB | Sr. | 6-0 | 271 | West Monroe, La. |
| 45 | Travis Bourgeois | FB | So. | 5-11 | 224 | Gramercy, La. |
| 82 | Michael Lillie | FB | Sr. | 6-3 | 238 | River Ridge, La. |
| * | Randall Gay | RB | Fr. | 6-0 | 185 | Brusly, La. |
| * | Devery Henderson | RB | Fr. | 6-1 | 180 | Opelousas, La. |
| * | Derron Parquet | RB | Fr. | 6-0 | 205 | Metairie, La. |
* 2000 Signee