LSU genuinely believes it can compete for a national title during the 2025 college football season. However, like the majority of programs across the country, a lack of elite talent at offensive line could prove to be the downfall for the Tigers.
With that in mind, head coach Brian Kelly and his staff threw what appears to be an obvious smoke screen at their first opponent.
A true freshman stepped into the right tackle spot for the most recent college football practice in Baton Rouge. His surprising role at the position does not reflect the common trend over the last few weeks.
I think it is a bunch of bologna.
Weston Davis projects as the starter.
Weston Davis has played the vast majority of first-team reps at the right tackle spot for the Bayou Bengals since the beginning of spring practice back in April. The former five-star recruit was (and probably still is), by all accounts, slotted into the starting role on the right side of the line.
Davis, a redshirt freshman, played a total of 20 offensive snaps in four games last season and chose to preserve his eligibility. He stands 6-foot-7, 317 pounds.
It’s not like this has been an experimental trial run. This is not supposed to be a position battle.
Davis has played right tackle with the starters for months. There has not been much of a rotation.
Enter Carius Curne…
LSU does not allow the media to watch more than about 15 minutes of practice each day. The reporters are sometimes allowed to stick around for the entire session but they must put their cameras away after a set amount of time.
That is pretty standard procedure at every program across the entire country but the Tigers have been even more selective than normal when it comes to media availability over the last few weeks. Thus, I am pretty sure they are messing with the other Tigers, their week one opponent— Clemson.
Their latest practice looked different. True freshman Carius Curne stepped into the right tackle spot for the entire time reporters were allowed to watch practice. Hmmm…
From Monday’s practice: Freshman Carius Curne taking first team reps at right tackle.
— Matt Moscona (@MattMoscona) August 19, 2025
The former 5 star had been working exclusively as the second team left tackle in camp until this point.@1045espn @LASportsDotNet pic.twitter.com/uDfpRq18NB
Davis had been there all spring and all summer up until that point. Curne did not take a single snap at right tackle prior to this most recent media window. He worked exclusively as the backup left tackle.
Does LSU have an offensive line problem?
This surprising personnel change could mean one of three (really two) things.
- Weston Davis lost his starting job out of nowhere.
- Weston Davis got injured.
- LSU wants to throw Clemson off of the scent.
If the sudden introduction of Carius Curne reflects one of the first two scenarios, the Tigers are in trouble. They, like many and/or most other college football programs, do not have the offensive line depth necessary to make a deep run to the College Football Playoff if their starters cannot stay healthy. Elite talent is extremely hard to come by in the trenches. This switch could reflect a concerning reality.
I tend to think this unexpected switch-up at right tackle is nothing more than intentional confusion. I think LSU is just trying to keep its top-25 opponent on its toes prior to the season-opener.
Clemson has presumably prepared to face Davis at right tackle, exclusively, because he has been there for months now. By getting Curne some reps, the game plan has to change. The coaching staff in South Carolina must now spend some time on the true freshman. They have to treat the smoke screen like it is real.