By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU has seen a mass exodus from its offensive line since the end of the 2025 season, and most of those left without a fight from new coach Lane Kiffin.
But the best of the group – redshirt junior starting center Braelin Moore – has decided to stay with the Tigers for his senior season, deciding against entering the 2026 NFL Draft or entering the NCAA Transfer Portal to consider another school. He finalized his contract to stay at LSU in 2026 on Sunday.
Moore (6-foot-2, 300 pounds) started all 12 regular season games in 2025 before missing the Texas Bowl with a foot injury as the Tigers lost to finish 7-6. He adjusted to the heat of south Louisiana – something he wasn’t used to coming from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Moore was projected as a mid-to-late round NFL pick in 2026. He was the Southeastern Conference offensive lineman of the week after LSU won at No. 4 Clemson to open the season. He started 12 games at center for Virginia Tech in 2024 and 12 games at left guard in 2023. Moore signed with Virginia Tech in 2022 as a three-star prospect from Freedom High in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as the No. 54 guard/center in the nation and No. 27 player in his state by 247sports.com.
When Moore signed with LSU last year, he was one of the main reasons former coach Brian Kelly finished with the No. 1 ranked portal class in the country. Moore came to LSU as the No. 38 transfer prospect nationally and No. 4 guard/center.
Also finalizing agreements to stay at LSU for 2026 on Sunday were sophomore tight end Trey’Dez Green and freshman running back Harlem Berry. Neither had entered the portal, however.
Kiffin’s portal class for 2026 is up to No. 4 by 247sports.com, but only No. 15 by On3.com with 23 additions as of Sunday night.
The only other lineman LSU retained who started in 2025 was redshirt freshman tackle Weston Davis, who started 10 games at tackle. Starting right guard Josh Thompson, a transfer last year from Northwestern as the No. 2 guard/center in the nation and No. 16 player in the portal, was a fifth-year senior in 2025 and not eligible for 2026.
Kiffin has added two offensive linemen for his 2026 portal class, but both are unranked backups – redshirt freshman center Williams Satterwhite of Tennessee and redshirt sophomore tackle Ja’Quan Sprinkle of FCS North Carolina Central. He has also added sophomore tackle JaKolby Jones of Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Mississippi, to his high school/junior college class of 2026. In 247sports.com’s junior college rankings, Jones is No. 104 overall and the No. 16 tackle.
The Tigers struggled in the run game in 2025, finishing 124th in the nation out of 134 top level programs with 104 yards a game. Six linemen who started games last season have entered the portal – true freshman tackle Carius Curne, redshirt sophomore tackle Tyree Adams, redshirt freshman tackle Ory Williams, redshirt freshman guard Coen Echols, redshirt sophomore Paul Mubenga and sophomore center/guard/tackle D.J. Chester, who also started in 2024.
LSU tried to keep Curne, but failed. He signed with Ole Miss as the No. 1 tackle in the portal and No. 23 overall transfer. Echols signed with Texas A&M as the No. 17 guard/center and No. 306 player in the portal. Adams signed with Texas A&M as the No. 24 tackle and No. 294 prospect. Chester is headed to Mississippi State as the No. 34 tackle and 487 portal prospect. Williams is going to Tennessee as the No. 40 tackle and No. 565 prospect. Mubenga is the No. 15 guard/center and No. 301 prospect and is non-committed.
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