LSU starting OL, former 4-star recruit, announces plans to enter transfer portal
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
An LSU offensive lineman who was part of Brian Kelly‘s 2024 recruiting class — eventually emerging as a starter up front in 2025 — appears ready to seek opportunities elsewhere with Lane Kiffin taking the reins of the Tigers program.
Coen Echols, a redshirt freshman, will enter the transfer portal when it opens in January. Echols announced his decision via a post on X on Tuesday. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Echols, from Katy, Tex., was a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 13 interior lineman when he signed with LSU out of the class of 2024, according to 247Sports’ Composite. He was also ranked the No. 42 player in the state.
The 6-foot-4 inch, 315-pounder saw immediate playing time as a true freshman, getting into four regular-season games. He also appeared in the Texas Bowl, allowing him to maintain his redshirt for the 2024 season.
In 2025, Echols’ playing time expanded. He played in all 12 of the Tigers’ games and has started the last seven.
Echols joins eight other players who will enter the portal. That includes fellow OL Carius Curne, a true freshman and former four-star recruit who started five times and played in seven games in 2025.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
