Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
For Kiffin, no rival will be bigger than Texas A&M to start his career
Texas A&M is not a rival for LSU in any sport, really.
The rivalry has been unbelievably one sided, especially when it comes to caring. There’s a reason why A&M fans tried to take over the LSU student section after this year’s win in Tiger Stadium. There’s also a reason why they made commemorative cups after the 2018 win in College Station.
There are much bigger annual games that LSU cares about. There will also be much bigger games on the field for Lane Kiffin in his first year at LSU. Out of the gate, though? Texas A&M will be LSU’s biggest rival in one of the biggest annual events in the world of college football – the transfer portal.
Few teams have been as committed to spending in the portal as LSU, and few, if any, coaches have as good of a track record at landing elite portal classes as Lane Kiffin. However, Texas A&M is up there, and they did an incredible job a year ago bringing in two elite wide receivers for Marcel Reed. This year, they face multiple major roster gaps similar to LSU’s, and the two programs are likely to be linked in pursuit of several high-profile targets.
No name is bigger than former Auburn WR Cam Coleman who announced on Monday that he will be entering his name in the portal when it opens on Jan. 2. Coleman is a former five-star, top ten nationally ranked recruit. In his two years at Auburn he totaled over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. The valuation for top players in this year’s portal market is somehow even higher than previous seasons. Some top tier quarterbacks are expected to earn $2-3 million more this year than last year, with players like Sam Leavitt potentially getting nearly $5 million.
🚨Auburn WR Cam Coleman has entered the transfer portal🚨
Where should he transfer to? pic.twitter.com/ha27Rc2C3o
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 29, 2025
Texas A&M isn’t rumored to be involved in the Sam Leavitt sweepstakes, but they are thought to be a top three potential landing spot for Coleman.
There’s also former players like Carius Curne who will be looking for a new home after leaving LSU. He’s one of six LSU offensive linemen that are expected to leave under the new coaching staff. Curne is another former five star recruit who made some spot starts, including one against Texas A&M, for the Tigers and has the Aggies on his short list according to On3. It’s too early to know where guys like Tyree Adams or Ory Williams will go. But, that’s a Texas A&M line that finished with 187 combined career starts at the end of this season. They will be looking to replace several players and have the money to do so.
BREAKING: LSU true freshman OL Carius Curne plans to enter the @TransferPortal, source tells @On3Sports
He played in 7 games and had starts at both left and right tackle this season
Curne was ranked as a Five-Star Recruit in the 2025 Class (per Rivals)⁰https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/0W6iC9u2le
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 17, 2025
Lane Kiffin needs to win on the field, for sure. His success will ultimately be measured by how many games he wins, not how many players he signs from the transfer portal. But for now, beating the team that considers LSU their Super Bowl, even if it’s in the world of recruiting, would be a great start to the Kiffin era.
More SEC News
