Former LSU football guard transfers to heated SEC rival

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Former LSU football offensive guard Coen Echols has committed to Texas A&M, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. A redshirt freshman, Echols took over the starting role on the Tigers’ offensive line near midseason this past year.

He was somewhat inconsistent this year, with games where he earned top marks from Pro Football Focus — his outings against Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M in particular — but his average grade as a starter was quite poor.

A Texas native, Echols was initially committed to A&M out of high school, but he decommitted shortly before National Signing Day and instead signed with LSU. Echols will now join the coach who originally recruited him to A&M, Elijah Robinson, in College Station.

Losing Echols is a frustrating blow to LSU, despite his below-average play in 2025. The Tigers have lost six total offensive linemen to the portal, and even if they can bring one or two back, they’ll still have a severe lack of depth at the position in 2026.

LSU only signed two offensive linemen as part of its 2026 recruiting class: four-star offensive tackle Brysten Martinez and three-star offensive guard Ryan Miret. Unless both can prove to be spot starters for the Tigers as true freshmen, Lane Kiffin and his offensive staff will need to do some real work to fortify the position through the portal.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Former LSU football guard transfers to heated SEC rival

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