Orgeron takes helicopter to check on John Emery Jr.
It’s not a typical Friday when there’s a helicopter waiting for you when you arrive at school.
That was the situation that John Emery Jr. walked into last week, as LSU coach Ed Orgeron took to the skies to visit the Rivals100 tailback. Of course, Orgeron is playing from behind with Emery, who gave a verbal commitment to Georgia in late July during an unofficial visit right after the Dead Period.
That has not deterred LSU’s head man, who on Sept. 7 as visited each of Louisiana’s top prospects, beginning with Emery.
“It showed a lot,” Emery told TigerDetails. “They showed a lot of fun. For him to bring a helicopter, knowing that’s a part of recruiting, but that’s what they do and it showed a lot. It made up for lost time we had.”
“He was letting me know I mean a lot to him and a lot for LSU and the whole,” he continued. “He took his first visit to come over here at around 6 in the morning, letting me know how much I mean to them.”
LSU doubled up on Emery that Friday as New Orleans area recruiter Mickey Joseph took in Destrehan High’s home game against St. Charles Catholic. In the Week 2 contest, Emery piled up 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Visits from both Orgeron and Joseph are a sign of LSU’s revived push for Louisiana’s No. 1-ranked running back, which has been a theme since he committed to a rival SEC school.
“They really want me and I can tell. They let me know they really need me,” Emery said. “They fell off, and when I went up for a visit, they weren’t telling me the things I needed to know about how I fit in the offense. Now, they’re telling me they really want me and they’re making up for lost time.”
Emery had planned to return the favor by visiting LSU for the home opener against Southeastern, but a busy Saturday kept him from making the drive.
The Rivals100 prospect is likely to attend the next home game against Louisiana Tech and should return for the Georgia game in mid-October. He remains undecided about official visit plans.
“They wanted me to come for the Southeastern game. I was supposed to, but I got kind of busy,” Emery explained. “I’ll be catching the next home game or LSU and Georgia. I’ll check it out and spend the day out there. I haven’t been thinking about (visits), but I’ll sit back and think about what I’ll do in the coming months.
“It’s around the corner. I’m good friends with the staff and Coach Mickey. Even though they didn’t recruit me as hard as Georgia did, I’m not going to just fall back. I’m going to stick with Georgia, but anything could happen … I’m locked in with Georgia. I’m on the good side with LSU, especially since they’re showing more love, but I’m locked in right now.”
Emery has watched both of LSU’s games two weeks into the 2018 season, including Nick Brossette top the century mark in both contests. He admits he had concerns about the offensive line play and did not know what to expect with Joe Burrow in under center.r
So far, the review has been encouraging.
“I was questioning the O-line because they were young and a few guys were hurt, but they actually surprised me in the Miami and Southeastern games,” Emery said. “As far quarterback, the quarterback is key. I’m a running back and I need a quarterback for communication. He really surprised me, too. I want to see it down the line versus Auburn and Georgia.”