LSU football will lose key offensive lineman in transfer portal

LSU football's need to put together a high-quality transfer portal class just became even more critical. LSU offensive guard Coen Echols, a former four-star out of Texas, announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens in January. He shared the news on his personal social media on Tuesday afternoon.

Echols started the final seven games of the season, taking over for redshirt sophomore Paul Mubenga, who went down with a high ankle sprain against Ole Miss. Echols played well while Mubenga was sidelined, earning him the full-time role.

Echols looked like a building block for the Kiffin era at LSU, and his decision to transfer could prove to be a serious problem for the Tigers in 2026.

Echols struggled when he had to fill in along the Tigers’ line, but when he held the starting role, his play steadied. In his five games in a reserve role, he earned a PFF offensive grade of 55.2. In his seven starts, his grade improved to a 60.0.

Although PFF had him graded as a better pass protector than run blocker in 2025, Echols still showed plenty of upside in that area. Below is a perfect example, featuring Echols working an impressive double team with another high-upside Tiger offensive lineman in Carius Curne—who announced his intention to transfer last week.

Caden Durham's TD run. Echols and Curne take the 3-tech out of the play. Good job on Thompson to get hips back square, redefine the gap, and get block on linebacker.

Van Buren + Thomas option occupied second level and LSU gets a big play pic.twitter.com/t4vtQexYmO

— Will Rosenblatt (@rozenwill) November 18, 2025

Fans may assume that Kiffin—who has recruited a top-five transfer portal class every season since it began in 2022—has a plan for how he’ll fill these positions. That was easier to believe when the players announcing their departures were solid depth pieces rather than potential multi-year cornerstones. Curne and Echols’ exits are a different matter entirely.

To be fair to the staff, they surely have a plan to replace those two, and there’s still more than a week before the portal opens. Kiffin and the Tigers' new offensive line coach, Eric Wolford, could convince Curne or Echols (preferably both) to stay between now and then, but the odds of that happening feel long. This makes LSU’s transfer portal class far more important, along with the development of the Tigers’ two incoming offensive linemen from the 2026 recruiting class.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football will lose key offensive lineman in transfer portal