Top 4 transfer portal landing spots for LSU OL Carius Curne

Carius Curne was one of the biggest recruiting wins for LSU a year ago as he was rated a five-star prospect by On3 and the No. 2-ranked offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class.

But a year later, he's on the move as one of four LSU offensive linemen to express plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound tackle played more than 300 snaps as a true freshman while drawing starts at both left and right tackle, and his best football should still be ahead of him, making him one of the most intriguing players headed to the portal.

On3 ranks Curne 15th on its list of top available transfers and the No. 1 offensive lineman heading to the portal, as of now.

Here are four potential landing spots for Curne.

(The NCAA transfer portal window is Jan. 2-16. Players cannot formally enter the portal or be contacted by other schools until then, but many have already declared their transfer intentions.)

LSU Tigers offensive lineman Carius Curne (57) | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Arkansas Razorbacks

Curne is from Hughes, Arkansas, and was committed to the Razorbacks for more than a year before backing off that pledge and later choosing LSU. Even after decommitting, he went back to Fayetteville for an official visit, so the home-state school was very much on his mind during his initial recruitment out of high school.

Arkansas has a new coaching staff now, and former head coach Sam Pittman was a big factor in Curne's interest in the Razorbacks, so new head coach Ryan Silverfield and his staff will have to start his recruitment from scratch. The appeal of playing close to home remains the same selling point.

Silverfield hired two offensive line coaches, bringing Jeff Myers with him from Memphis and also adding Ohio State assistant OL coach Marcus Johnson, so the program has made coaching/development at the position a priority.

On3's Pete Nakos also reports that Arkansas is "the one to really watch at this point" for Curne.

Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M is losing both of its starting offensive tackles, Trey Zuhn and Dametrious Crownover, to the NFL and will surely prioritize bringing in an experienced transfer to fill one or both of those voids.

There is already plenty of buzz that the Aggies are going to be interested in Curne, and they certainly have the NIL resources to compete with any other suitors for the coveted lineman.

Texas A&M reached the College Football Playoff and won 11 games in coach Mike Elko's second season and should be a national contender again in 2026, making it an attractive program for any top transfers -- especially one who has already been in the conference and values the SEC spotlight.

Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia was one of the first SEC programs to offer Curne before his junior year in high school, though at the time the Bulldogs were pursuing him as a defensive lineman, with DL coach Tray Scott leading his recruitment.

Curne attended a camp at Georgia and returned that fall for a gameday visit.

Scott, who is still at Georgia, wouldn't be his position coach if Curne picked the Bulldogs, but he could still be a factor in his recruitment as Scott is also from Arkansas.

“I just feel like we clicked from the first time we talked,” Curne told Rivals back in 2023.

Georgia is at least losing its starting left guard with Micah Morris out of eligibility after this season, and Curne was viewed as more of an interior offensive line prospect by some analysts coming out of high school. But starting tackles Earnest Greene III and Monroe Freeling also have NFL draft decisions to make and could depart as well.

For all those reasons, it makes sense that Georgia will be aggressive in pursuing Curne.

Ole Miss Rebels

Frank Wilson, who served as LSU's interim head coach for the final five games of the season, is now at Ole Miss as the Rebels' running backs coach, providing a personal connection for Curne as he considers his next move.

By all accounts, Wilson was very popular with LSU's players, and it won't be a surprise if a few of them make the move to Ole Miss. In fact, his ability as a recruiter was a major reason he was a valued addition for the Rebels and new head coach Pete Golding.

Ole Miss was another school that got in early on Curne's initial recruitment, offering him in June of 2023, leading into his junior year of high school. He visited Oxford, Mississippi, during his recruitment.

Curne could step right in at either tackle spot in 2026, replacing either left tackle Diego Pounds or right tackle Jayden Williams, who, coincidentally, is also from Arkansas, as both are finishing their final year of eligibility.