Five-Star LSU Football Freshman Pushing for Starting Role Ahead of South Carolina

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers signed the top-ranked recruit in Arkansas last December when five-star offensive lineman Carius Curne made things official with the program during the Early Signing Period.

The elite offensive lineman out of the 2025 Recruiting Cycle immediately became a headliner in the LSU Tigers' class where he enrolled early in January to take part in Spring Camp.

"Carius is one of the stronger offensive tackles I have recruited in some time. He absolutely dominates his opponents. He is physically ready to play in the SEC right now," Kelly said on National Signing Day.

The 6-foot-5, 335-pounder made his way to Baton Rouge during the spring where he immediately turned heads with his sheer size and strength.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers will have Carius Curne, Solomon Thomas and others as early-enrollees. — Courtesy of Carius Curne's Instagram.

Curne then worked his way into the two-deep rotation as a backup offensive tackle behind left tackle Tyree Adams.

But he's viewed as a versatile weapon in the trenches with Kelly impressed with his youngster to this point after making an impact in 2025.

In Week 6, Curne earned his first start with the LSU Tigers where he replaced an injured Weston Davis at right tackle against the Ole Miss Rebels.

For Kelly, he views Curne as a critical component to the offensive line where he could see snaps at both tackle and guard in the future.

"Weston Davis obviously couldn't play in the Ole Miss game, but he's got some snaps underneath him," Kelly said on Monday. "Carius is there if Weston needs a [break].

"We can also look at Carius inside at the guard position now that Paul is banged up. So we've got some flexibility with Carius to move him into the guard position or the tackle position."

LSU has struggled in the run-game this season with the program searching for a balanced offense heading into the backend of the schedule.

"Well, getting the running game going is a relative term for me in terms of efficiency," Kelly said. "You don't want to be one-dimensional, but you want to be able, when you run, that you can have some success like we did against Ole Miss late in the game.

"How do you carry that to where we're going to bludgeon people up? That's not who we are right now.

"But we need to have a running game that keeps you honest; that you can't put five guys in the box and cover down with seven others. So, fair box runs we've got to be better at, and we've got to be able to run the ball efficiently when you give us that look.

"If you want to play two-high safety and give us fair numbers, we've got to be efficient at running the ball, and we will be eventually."

No. 11 LSU will return to action on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium for a matchup against Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CT.

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