Texas Longhorns Clearly Dodged a Bullet After Latest LSU Tigers Roster News

AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns lost a notable piece on the defensive line at the end of last season, but the departure now appears to have been for the best.

Per reports Tuesday from On3's Shea Dixon, former Texas defensive lineman Sydir Mitchell is no longer with the LSU Tigers after transferring to Baton Rouge in Dec. 2024. Instead of sticking with Texas during its run to the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff Semifinals, Mitchell tested the waters in the transfer portal and appeared to have found his permanent home.

However, LSU head coach Brian Kelly confirmed Mitchell's departure from the program during the weekly SEC Teleconference on Wednesday with remarks that raised some eyebrows in the process.

Brian Kelly's Comments About Sydir Mitchell

“We have standards that need to be met, and those standards weren't met," Kelly said.

The tone of these comments make it seem as if Mitchell's departure was due to more than just a lack of playing time. Players get benched all the time, but leaving just two games into the season implies the issues were deeper than just Xs and Os.

Mitchell had reunited with former Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis to LSU but will now have to look for a new home as the 2025 season continues to get into full swing. Davis left the Tigers after just one season and is now with the New Orleans Saints.

Sydir Mitchell's Time With Texas

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Originally a three-star recruit in the 2023 class out of Bergen Catholic in Oradell, NJ, Mitchell chose to head far from home and commit to Texas. He was a part of a notable 2023 recruiting class that featured notable names like Arch Manning, CJ Baxter, Anthony Hill Jr., DeAndre Moore Jr., Derek Williams Jr., Quintrevion Wisner, Malik Muhammad, Johntay Cook II and more.

Rumors swirled last season about Mitchell potentially being involved in a verbal disagreement on the sidelines with a teammate in the win over Louisiana Monroe, but he remained with the team until transferring later in the season.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian even had some high praise for Mitchell in the weeks to follow, telling the media that he had been showing significant strides during practice as the team grinded its way through SEC play.

“I’ll say this, I think the last two weeks has had his best weeks here in quite some time," Sarkisian said in November.

However, given his quick departure from LSU, it's clear that Mitchell was not a culture fit at Texas.

Mitchell ended his time at Texas with just seven total tackles (four solo).