Razorbacks’ portal problem: Carius Curne to Ole Miss stings new staff

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas hired Ryan Silverfield to stop the bleeding, patch the roster, and make Saturdays feel less like a group project where nobody did their part.

The Razorbacks don’t get much time to settle in, though. The transfer portal doesn’t care about first-day speeches or polite introductions.

So when top offensive line transfer Carius Curne ended up committing to Ole Miss, it landed like a reminder: the portal is a daily scoreboard, and it’s public.

The Hogs had been connected to Curne as a target, with Arkansas coverage noting he still planned to visit Fayetteville at one point. That detail matters, because it says this wasn’t some random name fans saw on a list.

Arkansas fans have watched this movie before: big-name help shows interest, hope rises, and then the ending credits roll with somebody else wearing the jersey.

The Razorbacks are trying to build an offensive line that can hold up in the SEC, and Curne is exactly the type of piece that can change a season.

The Hogs didn’t lose a chess match here. They lost a shopping race. And in the portal era, you don’t get style points for “almost.”

At the center of it is Silverfield, who arrived promising better days. In his first message to fans, he said, “We’re going to bring a lot of success to the Hogs that’s so well-deserved.”

Former LSU OL Carius Curne has committed to Ole Miss 🇹🇹

3 Sacks Allowed as a True Freshman (199 Pass Block Snaps) pic.twitter.com/Xs0aakP3TA
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 6, 2026

The portal doesn’t wait on a honeymoon phase

Arkansas is under a new coach, but the portal clock is already ticking. The NCAA set this winter window from Jan. 2 to Jan. 16, which means schools have a short runway to recruit, host, and close.

That’s why a miss like this can feel bigger than one player. It’s not just about a tackle. It’s about momentum, relationships, and the message it sends to the next five guys.

The Razorbacks need linemen like a truck needs tires. You can talk about speed all you want, but you’re not going anywhere if the wheels come off.

Curne isn’t just “a body.” Portal listings put him at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, from Marion, Ark., and show him committing on Jan. 6, 2026.

National coverage labeled him a major pickup, describing him as a 6-foot-5, 320-pound tackle coming from LSU, a premium commodity in the portal.

Reports also noted he played in seven games as a true freshman at LSU, which is another way of saying he’s already seen the kind of Saturdays that Arkansas is trying to survive.

Ole Miss didn’t just add a lineman. The Rebels added a lineman Arkansas wanted, from Arkansas, during the first weeks of a new Arkansas staff trying to prove it can win these battles.

That’s the part that makes folks squint at Silverfield a little harder. Never mind that the Hogs are over twice as far away from his hometown, located just out of Memphis where Silverfield could drive there and back while Curne was in high school on one gallon jug of gas.

#LSU signed the No. 1 prospect in Arkansas last December: Carius Curne.

The five-star offensive lineman has generated significant buzz since arriving in Baton Rouge.

Now, Curne comes in at 6’5, 335 pounds heading into Year 1 with the program.

Here he is benching 425 pounds: pic.twitter.com/8GRc9d8mXd
— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) July 9, 2025

What this means for Ryan Silverfield’s first portal test

Is it a really bad sign? It can be, depending on what happens next.

If Arkansas keeps losing top targets it’s publicly linked to, then yes. People will say the Razorbacks changed coaches but didn’t change outcomes.

Am I being too hard on Silverfield a month into the job?

Sorry, but you aren't allowed a warmup year and a lot of people are going to have to see a lot of wins before climbing on board a team full of non-Power 4 players racing to town.

If the Hogs respond by landing other high-end options and stacking wins in the same portal window, then this becomes one painful miss, not a flashing red light.

The portal isn’t a one-rep drill. It’s a whole game, and you can lose the first quarter and still win the thing.

Still, it’s fair to note what Curne himself said while his transfer situation played out. In a social media post during the process, he wrote, “Holding my paper work trying to prevent me from opportunity is crazy work… I just want to ball out.”

That quote tells you something else: portal guys aren’t looking for a long lecture. They want a clear plan, a clear role, and a clear path to play.

And Ole Miss, at least in this case, offered something that looked clearer.

Coverage of the Rebels’ portal haul noted Curne became the eighth transfer to commit to Ole Miss in this cycle, underscoring how aggressively they’ve attacked the market.

Arkansas can’t afford to be the program that “works hard” while others “close.”

Silverfield’s job, early, is simple to describe and hard to do. He has to make Arkansas a place portal players pick, not a place they consider before heading to Oxford.

Because if you’re Arkansas and you’re watching a prized target go to an SEC opponent — one that recruits the portal like it’s an everyday beat — then you’re not just behind.

You’re being measured.

And the portal always measures you.

Key takeaways

Carius Curne was viewed as an Arkansas target before committing to Ole Miss.
Silverfield promised success, but the portal creates instant judgment on recruiting traction.
With the Jan. 2–16 window, programs don’t have time to “build momentum slowly.”

The portal doesn’t wait on a honeymoon phase

What this means for Ryan Silverfield’s first portal test

Key takeaways

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