#7 Leonard Fournette Season 2023
2017 NFL Draft: 1st round (4th overall) by Jacksonville Jaguars
2016 Second Team All-SEC (Coaches, AP)
2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Ole Miss)
2015 Consensus All-America
2015 First-Team All-America (AP, FWAA, Walter Camp)
2015 SEC Men’s Sportsmanship Award Recipient
2015 All-SEC First Team (Coaches, AP)
2015 Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Auburn)
2015 FWAA National Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Auburn)
2015 Maxwell Award National Player of the Week (vs. Auburn)
2015 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (at Mississippi State, vs. Auburn, at Syracuse)
2015 Doak Walker Award Finalist
2014 All-SEC Freshman Team
2014 SEC Freshman of the Week (at Florida, vs. Ole Miss, at Texas A&M)
2014 Athlon Sports National Freshman of the Week (vs. Ole Miss)
CAREER
One of the top running backs in LSU history despite having his final season with the Tigers cut short due to an ankle injury … In only 32 games, worked his way all the way to No. 4 in LSU history in rushing yards with 3,830 … Finished career No. 2 in school history in all-purpose yards per game (155.7), No. 3 in overall touchdowns (42), No. 4 in rushing touchdowns (40) and all-purpose yards (4,981), No. 7 in scoring (252) and No. 8 in touchdowns responsible for (42) … Holds LSU career records for yards per carry (6.2), rushing yards per game (119.7), 200-yard rushing games (5), and consecutive 100-yard rushing games (9) … Overall, set or tied a total of 23 school records during his career (8 season, 5 game, 7 bowl, 3 career) … In 32 games, cracked the 100-yard mark 19 times and went over 200-yards a school-record five times … Became fastest player in LSU history to reach 2,000 and 3,000 yards … Got to 2,000 yards in 303 carries and 18 games … Reached the 3,000-yard mark in 491 carries and 26 games … Stands at only player in LSU history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons with the Tigers … Became first player in the SEC to lead the nation in rushing since 1949 with an average of 162.8 yards per game in 2015 … LSU went 15-4 in games in which Fournette topped the 100-yard mark … Opted to forgo final season of eligibility with the Tigers and enter the 2017 NFL Draft, where he is considered to be one of the top 10 players selected.
JUNIOR SEASON (2016)
Slowed for most of the year by an ankle injury suffered in training camp … Played in seven games, starting six times … Finished with 843 yards rushing and eight touchdowns … Caught 15 passes for 146 yards … Rushed for 100 or more yards in first four games that he played in 2017 … Broke LSU’s single-game rushing record with 284 yards and three touchdowns in 38-21 win over Ole Miss on Oct. 22 in Tiger Stadium … Earned second team All-SEC honors from both the SEC Coaches and the Associated Press in 2016 … Opened season with 138 yards vs. Wisconsin … Missed Jacksonville State game (ankle) and returned to action with 147 yards and a pair of TDs in win over Mississippi State … Followed that with 101 yards in road loss to Auburn … Sat out LSU wins over Missouri and Southern Miss before returning to action against Ole Miss, where he broke the school’s single-game rushing mark with 284 yards and 3 TDs on just 16 carries … Scored on runs of 59, 76, and 78 yards against Ole Miss … Had 98 rushing yards and 3 TDs win road win over Arkansas … Last LSU game came against Florida, where despite suffering from ankle injury, managed to rush for 40 yards on 12 carries … Missed the Texas A&M game and sat out the bowl win over Louisville due to injury … His 284 yards against Ole Miss broke the previous school record of 250 set by Alley Broussard against Ole Miss in 2004 … It was also his fifth 200-yard game of his career, a school record surpassing Kevin Faulk’s previous mark of four set from 1995-98 … Set single-game per carry average with 17.8 yards on 16 carries in win over Ole Miss … Scored multiple touchdowns 12 times during his career.
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LSU’s 1,000-Yard Rushers, Single-Season* (through 2015)
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|||||||
| Player | Season | Games | Att. | Yds. | TD | Yds/Game | |
| Leonard Fournette | 2015 | 12 | 300 | 1,953 | 22 | 162.75 | |
| Charles Alexander * | 1977 | 11 | 311 | 1,686 | 17 | 153.3 | |
| Jeremy Hill | 2013 | 12 | 203 | 1,401 | 16 | 116.8 | |
| Kevin Faulk * | 1996 | 11 | 248 | 1,282 | 13 | 116.5 | |
| Kevin Faulk * | 1998 | 11 | 229 | 1,279 | 12 | 116.3 | |
| Dalton Hilliard * | 1984 | 11 | 254 | 1,268 | 13 | 115.3 | |
| Charles Scott | 2008 | 13 | 217 | 1,174 | 18 | 90.3 | |
| Charles Alexander * | 1978 | 11 | 281 | 1,172 | 14 | 106.5 | |
| Stevan Ridley | 2010 | 13 | 249 | 1,147 | 15 | 88.2 | |
| Kevin Faulk * | 1997 | 9 | 205 | 1,144 | 15 | 127.1 | |
| Dalton Hilliard * | 1985 | 11 | 258 | 1,134 | 14 | 103.1 | |
| Terry Robiskie * | 1976 | 11 | 224 | 1,117 | 12 | 101.5 | |
| Jacob Hester | 2007 | 14 | 225 | 1,103 | 12 | 78.8 | |
| Leonard Fournette | 2014 | 13 | 187 | 1,034 | 10 | 79.5 | |
| Harvey Williams | 1987 | 11 | 154 | 1,001 | 11 | 91.0 | |
| Justin Vincent | 2003 | 14 | 154 | 1,001 | 10 | 71.5 | |
| * Prior to 2002, the NCAA did not count bowl stats in team/individual records. | |||||||
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2015)
Consensus First Team All-American in what was a phenomenal sophomore campaign … Led the SEC and nation in rushing with 162.8 yards a contest … Finished season with 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns – both LSU single-season records … Averaged a staggering 6.5 yards a carry … Tied the school record with 10 games of at least 100 rushing yards and set LSU mark with four 200-yard games … Added 19 receptions for 253 yards and a TD … Capped season with a NCAA bowl record-tying five touchdowns (4 rushing, 1 receiving) to go along with 212 rushing yards in LSU’s 56-27 win over Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl … Broke LSU single-season rushing record when he ran for 159 yards against Texas A&M, surpassing Charles Alexander’s 1,686 yards in 1977 … Became the fastest player in LSU history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season as he did it in five games … Became only the 10th player in FBS history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in the fifth game of a season … On his 87-yard TD run vs. South Carolina, Fournette not only crossed the 1,000 yard mark for the season, but he also surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards … Is the fastest player in LSU history to reach the 2,000 rushing yard milestone, accomplishing the feat in only 303 carries and 18 career games … Fournette’s 834 rushing yards were the most by an LSU player through four games in school history and the most by any FBS player through four games since at least 2000 … He is the first player in SEC history to rush for 200-plus yards in three consecutive games doing so in wins over Auburn (244 yards, 3 TDs), Syracuse (244 yards, 2 TDs), and Eastern Michigan (233 yards, 3 TDs) … Rushed for 150-plus yards in seven straight games in 2015, becoming the first FBS player to do so since UCF’s Kevin Smith in 2007 … His streak of 11 straight games with at least one rushing touchdown is a school record … Fournette’s 12 rushing touchdowns were the most through the first five games of a season by any player in LSU history (as were his 11 TDs thru 4 games) … Fournette’s 631 rushing yards were the most by an LSU player through three games in school history and the most by any FBS player through three games since at least 2000 … Is the first player in LSU history to record eight rushing TDs in the first three games of the season and only the second to reach at least eight TDs thru three games (Dalton Hilliard had 4 rush, 4 rec. TDs in 1982) … He is the first LSU player to rush for 200-plus yards in back-to-back games … Became the fastest player in LSU history to reach the 500-yard and 600-yard rushing mark, doing it in three games … Became the third LSU player to rush for at least 100 yards in the first three games of a season, joining Charles Alexander (1977, 1978) and Charles Scott (2008) … Became the first LSU player with at least 100 rushing yards in the first five games of a season … LSU is 13-2 when Fournette rushes for 100-plus yards … With three 200-yard rushing games, Fournette joins Kevin Faulk (4) and Charles Alexander (2) as the only Tigers with multiple 200-yard rushing performances … Owns three of the Top 10 spots on LSU’s single-game rushing yards record list … His 387 rushing yards was the most by an LSU player thru 2 games … Rushed for 233 yards and 3 TDs on 26 carries vs. Eastern Michigan with TD runs of 3, 75 and 11 yards … Shattered his career high for the second straight week with 244 rushing yards and 2 TDs at Syracuse … His 244 rushing yards at Syracuse were the most rushing yards by an LSU player on the road and the third-most in a game of all time … Rushed for a career-high 228 yards and tied a career-best with 3 rushing TDs on 19 carries in LSU’s 45-21 win over No. 18 Auburn … Opened game with a 71-yard run that set the tone for a contest that saw LSU rush for 411 yards, its second-highest total in a conference game … Scored on runs of 40, 29 and 1 yards in helping LSU build a 38-7 lead late in third quarter … All of his rushing yards came in three quarters of action as he was just 23 yards shy of breaking the school record despite sitting out the fourth quarter … Averaged 12.0 yards per carry, a school-record for a back with at least 15 attempts in a game … Set then-career highs with 28 carries, 159 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs in the opener at Mississippi State … Averaged 5.7 yards a carry vs. MSU … His 28 carries were the most by a LSU player in a season-opener since 1985 when Dalton Hilliard had 31 carries for 148 yards in win over North Carolina … 99 of his 159 yards came in second half … Scored on runs of 1, 26 and 18 yards to account of all of LSU’s offensive points … Led SEC and ranked among the top five in the nation in all-purpose yards (183.8 yards per game) and tied for first in the league in scoring with 11.5 points a contest … Recipient of the 2015 SEC Sportsmanship Award for his actions in support of the people of South Carolina after unprecedented flooding in that state.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014)
Lived up to expectations as one of the most highly-touted signees in LSU history by setting a school freshman rushing record with 1,034 yards … Played in all 13 games with six starts … Ranked sixth in the SEC in rushing with 79.5 yards per game and was fourth in kickoff returns with a 26.0 average … Led the league in all-purpose yards with 137.4 yards per game … Had five 100-yard rushing games which included a career-best 146 yards and 1 TD in win over Texas A&M on Thanksgiving Night … In the six games he started, rushed for 100 yards or more four times and he averaged 98.5 yards and one TD in each of those games … Scored at least one rushing TD in seven games … Caught seven passes for 127 yards, including 40-yarder in win over Ole Miss … Dazzled college football fans with a series of head-shaking moves in 2014, which included bowling over a Texas A&M defender on his way to a 22-yard TD; leaping over a wall of Florida defenders from the 4-yard line to score a TD; a 360-degree spin move that left a would-be Florida tackler tackling air; or the shoulder-lowering boom that drove a Gator defender five yards deep into the endzone … Took over as the starting running back for the Tigers against Florida and responded with 140 yards and a pair of TDs on 27 carries in the 30-27 win over the Gators … The 140 rushing yards were the most by a LSU true freshman running back since Justin Vincent racked up 201 rushing yards on 18 carries versus Georgia at the 2003 SEC Championship Game … Added 85 yards on kickoff returns against Florida to finish with 225 all-purpose yards … Followed that with 40 yards and a TD in win over Kentucky … Rushed for 113 yards on 23 attempts in LSU’s 10-7 win over No. 3-ranked Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium … Followed that with 79 yards on 21 carries in overtime loss to Alabama … Played sparingly in road loss at Arkansas with just nine yards on five carries … Closed out season with a flurry, rushing for 146 yards and a TD in win over Texas A&M and followed that with 143 yards and a pair of scores, including an 89-yard TD run against Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl … Scored on a 22-yard run against Texas A&M where he ran over an Aggie defender, a play that was rated as a SportsCenter Top 10 play … Added a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD against Notre Dame as he finished with a career-best 264 all-purpose yards … Earned a spot on the ESPN.com All-Bowl Team as an all-purpose player for his performance against Notre Dame … Had first 100-yard game of career against New Mexico State with 122 yards and a pair of TDs in the LSU win … Open season with 18 rushing yards on eight carries in comeback win over 14th-ranked Wisconsin in Houston … Followed that with 92 yards and a TD in Tiger Stadium debut against Sam Houston State … Added 52 yards on the ground and a TD a week later in win over Louisiana-Monroe … One of 17 true freshmen to see action for LSU in 2014.
HIGH SCHOOL
A four-year starting running back at St. Augustine who is touted as one of the most highly recruited players ever to come out of Louisiana … Possesses an amazing blend of size, strength and speed … Regarded as the No. 1 player in the nation, regardless of position, by the 247Sports composite rankings … Named the USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-USA First Team … Is the fifth USA Today Offensive Player of the Year from Louisiana, joining Josh Booty, Travis Minor, Brock Berlin and Ryan Perrilloux … Selected to the prestigious Parade All-America First Team … Awarded the 2013 and 2014 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year awards, the first player in Louisiana history to win it twice … Finished his high school career with 7,619 rushing yards and 88 rushing touchdowns … Ran for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior and added 45 receptions for 745 yards and six scores … Produced 2,135 rushing yards and 31 TDs as a junior … Led his team to a 9-2 record and an appearance in the Division I semifinal game as a senior … A unanimous five-star prospect by every recruiting site … Listed as the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN.com and Scout.com … Ranked the No. 2 overall player by 247Sports.com and No. 4 by Rivals.com … Unanimous No. 1 running back nationally by all recruiting sites … Participant in the Under Armour All-American game where he caught a 36-yard touchdown pass and rushed for 43 yards on nine carries … Named 2013 Mr. Football by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association … Named the LFCA Class 5A Offensive Most Valuable Player as a senior … Four-time All-District selection … LFCA Class 4A First-Team All-State honoree as a junior … Member of the Baton Rouge Advocate Super Dozen … Listed as a MaxPreps First-Team All-American … Coached by Cyril Crutchfield.
PERSONAL
Parents are Leonard and Lory Fournette … Born Jan. 18, 1995 in New Orleans … Majoring in interdisciplinary studies … Brother Lanard is a member of the LSU football team … Has a daughter, Lyric.
FOURNETTE’S CAREER RUSHING HIGHS
Attempts: 32 vs. Texas A&M, 2015
Yards: 284 vs. Ole Miss, 2016
Touchdowns: 4 vs. Texas Tech, 2016 (Texas Bowl)
Long: 89 vs. Notre Dame, 2014 (Music City Bowl)
FOURNETTE’S CAREER RECEIVING HIGHS
Receptions: 4, 3x (Last: vs. Mississippi State, 2016; First: at Ole Miss, 2015)
Yards: 72 at Ole Miss, 2015
Long: 46 at Ole Miss, 2015
Touchdowns: 1 vs. Texas Tech
Leonard Fournette in the LSU Record Book (through 2016 season)
Single-Game
No. 1 in yards per rush (17.8 vs. Ole Miss, 2016)
No. 1 (tie) in touchdowns responsible for (5 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) in scoring (30 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) in touchdowns scored (5 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) longest kickoff return (100 vs. Notre Dame, 2014)
No. 2 in rushing yards (284 vs. Ole Miss, 2016)
No. 4 in all-purpose yards (309 vs. Ole Miss, 2016)
Season
No. 1 in rushing yards (1,953 in 2015)
No. 1 in rushing yards per game (162.8 in 2015)
No. 1 in rushing touchdowns (22 in 2015)
No. 1 in overall touchdowns (23 in 2015)
No. 1 in 200-yard rushing games (4 in 2015)
No. 1 in 100-yard rushing games (10 in 2015)
No. 1 in consecutive 200-yard rushing games (3 in 2015)
No. 1 in consecutive 150-yard rushing games (7 in 2015)
No. 2 in scoring (138 in 2015)
No. 2 in all-purpose yards (2,206 in 2015)
No. 3 in all-purpose yards (183.8 in 2015)
No. 7 in all-purpose yards (1,786 in 2014)
Career
No. 1 in rushing yards per game (119.7)
No. 1 in 200-yard rushing games (5)
No. 1 in consecutive 100-yard rushing games (9 in 2014-15)
No. 2 in all-purpose yards per game (155.7)
No. 3 (tie) in touchdowns scored (42)
No. 4 in 100-yard rushing games (19)
No. 4 in all-purpose yards (4,981)
No. 7 in scoring (252)
Bowl Game
No. 1 in yards per rush (13.0 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 in longest rush (89 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) in rushing touchdowns (4 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) in touchdowns responsible for (5 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) in scoring (30 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) in touchdowns scored (5 vs. Texas Tech, 2015)
No. 1 (tie) longest kickoff return (100 vs. Notre Dame, 2014)
FOURNETTE’S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS
|
Year
|
G-GS
|
Att.
|
Yds.
|
TD
|
LG
|
| 2014 | 13-6 | 187 | 1,034 | 10 | 89 (TD) |
| 2015 | 12-12 | 300 | 1,953 | 22 | 87 (TD) |
| 2016 | 7-6 | 129 | 843 | 8 | 78 (TD) |
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Totals
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32-24
|
616
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3,830
|
40
|
89 (TD)
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FOURNETTE’S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS
|
Year
|
G-GS
|
Rec.
|
Yds.
|
TD
|
LG
|
| 2014 | 13-6 | 7 | 127 | 0 | 40 |
| 2015 | 12-12 | 19 | 253 | 1 | 46 |
| 2016 | 7-6 | 15 | 146 | 0 | 38 |
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Totals
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32-24
|
41
|
526
|
1
|
46
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FOURNETTE’S CAREER KICKOFF RETURN STATISTICS
|
Year
|
Returns
|
Yds.
|
TD
|
LG
|
| 2014 | 24 | 625 | 1 | 100 (TD) |
| 2015 | 0 | – | – | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – | – | – |
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Totals
|
24
|
625
|
1
|
100 (TD)
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LSU Top 20 Career Rushing Yards (through 2016 Season)
| Rank | Name | Years | Yards* |
| 1. | Kevin Faulk | 1995-98 | 4,557 |
| 2. | Dalton Hilliard | 1982-85 | 4,050 |
| 3. | Charles Alexander | 1975-78 | 4,035 |
| 4 | Leonard Fournette | 2014-16 | 3,830 |
| 5. | Harvey Williams | 1986-90 | 2,860 |
| 6. | Joseph Addai | 2001-05 | 2,576 |
| 7. | Terry Robiskie | 1973-76 | 2,517 |
| 8. | Charles Scott | 2006-09 | 2,317 |
| 9. | Rondell Mealey | 1996-99 | 2,238 |
| 10. | Garry James | 1982-85 | 2,217 |
| 11. | Brad Davis | 1972-74 | 2,163 |
| 12. | Jeremy Hill | 2012-13 | 2,156 |
| 13. | LaBrandon Toefield | 2000-02 | 2,149 |
| 14. | Domanick Davis | 1999-02 | 2,056 |
| 15. | Justin Vincent | 2003-06 | 2,021 |
| 16. | Billy Cannon | 1957-59 | 1,867 |
| 17. | Derrius Guice | 2015-16 | 1,823 |
| 18. | Eddie Fuller | 1986-89 | 1,816 |
| 19. | Jacob Hester | 2004-07 | 1,780 |
| 20. | Keiland Williams | 2006-09 | 1,699 |
| * Prior to 2002, the NCAA did not count bowl stats in team/individual records. | |||
Leonard Fournette: LSU and SEC Records Broken in 2015
LSU Single-Season Records
Rushing yards in a season (1,953)
Previous: 1,686 by Charles Alexander in 1977
Rushing yards per game (162.8)
Previous: 153.3 by Charles Alexander in 1977
Rushing TDs in a season (22)
Previous: 19 by LaBrandon Toefield in 2001
Overall TDs in a season (23 – 22 rushing, 1 receiving)
Previous: 19 (all rushing) by LaBrandon Toefield in 2001
200-yard rushing games in a season (4)
Previous: 2 by Charles Alexander in 1977
100-yard rushing games in a season (10)
Tied with Charles Alexander in 1977
Consecutive 200-yard rushing games (3)
Previous: None
Consecutive 150-yard rushing games in a season (7)
LSU Single-Game Records
Overall TDs in a game (5) vs. Texas Tech (2015 Texas Bowl)
Tied with Kevin Faulk vs. Kentucky, 1997; Carlos Carson vs. Rice, 1977
LSU Bowl Records
Rushing TDs (4) vs. Texas Tech (2015 Texas Bowl)
Tied with Domanick Davis vs. Illinois (2002 Sugar Bowl)
Overall TDs (5) vs. Texas Tech (2015 Texas Bowl)
Previous: 4 by Domanick Davis vs. Illinois (2002 Sugar Bowl)
Also tied NCAA bowl record for overall TDs
Total points (30)
Previous: 24 by Domanick Davis vs. Illinois (2002 Sugar Bowl)
