LSU’s late-November matchup with Texas has the feel of a game loaded with NFL talent, and the Longhorns bring enough firepower on both sides of the ball to make November 14th a major test. With Lane Kiffin entering his first season as LSU’s head coach, the Tigers are trying to establish a new identity, and Texas arrives with plenty to prove of its own. By the time this one kicks off, it could easily be a top-15 showdown.
The first name LSU fans need to know is Trevor Goosby. Texas’ left tackle is coming back to Austin after turning down the chance to enter this year’s draft, and he’s already being viewed as a potential early first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft. Last season, Goosby was flagged only four times and gave up just three sacks, which is exactly the kind of protection Texas wants anchoring the edge.
On the other side of the line, Colin Simmons is the kind of defender who can wreck a game in a hurry. The 6'3" incoming junior is one of the most dangerous pass rushers in college football, but he’s not just a one-trick threat.
Simmons put up 12 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles last season, and he brings the same force against the run. LSU will have Jordan Seaton at left tackle to deal with him, but Simmons still has plenty of ways to make life difficult.
Texas also added a major weapon at receiver in Cam Coleman, the former Auburn standout who was the highest-rated wideout in the transfer portal. He joins a group that already includes Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V, but Coleman looks like the one who can tilt the offense the most. In two seasons at Auburn, he totaled 1,306 yards on 93 catches with 13 touchdowns, and his blend of size and speed should make him Arch Manning’s top target.
The Longhorns’ secondary has experience, but there are also some younger pieces in that group, which puts Jelani McDonald in a bigger leadership spot. With Michael Taafe gone, Texas needs McDonald to help steady the back end. He led the team with three interceptions last season and added 80 total tackles, making him a player LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt will need to track all game long.
And then there’s Arch Manning, who will have the biggest say in how this game plays out. This will be his second full season as Texas’ starting quarterback, and after a slow start last year, he settled in down the stretch.
Manning finished with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. If LSU can’t get pressure on him, the Tigers could be in for a long night.
In Other News...
LSU Fans Suddenly Have A Huge Decision To Watch With Elite Receiver
LSUs receiver board just got a little more interesting, and Monshun Sales is right at the center of it. The No. 1-ranked wideout recruit has locked in a July 17 commitment date and will make his announcement live on the Pat McAfee Show, putting a national spotlight on a recruitment that already has plenty of SEC and Big Ten weight behind it.
Sales is weighing Ohio State, Alabama, Indiana, LSU and Texas, though the race is believed to be shaping up mostly between Indiana and Alabama. Ohio State is still in the mix, just not in the same spot it once occupied, while Texas lingers as a possible dark horse. For LSU fans, the wait now turns to whether the Tigers can make a late push before the decision goes public. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Next DBU Duo Faces A Massive 2026 Test
LSUs next wave at cornerback is starting to come into focus, and the Tigers are leaning on two young defenders who already showed they can handle real responsibility. DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland spent 2025 working behind Mansoor Delane, but the expectation now is that they will move into the spotlight and form the top pairing in the secondary.
Pickett arrived with the kind of freshman buzz that usually comes with immediate pressure, while Woodland quietly built a strong coverage rsum of his own by staying around the ball and keeping opponents out of the end zone through the air. The offseason will be a key stretch for both as they keep sharpening their games under Corey Raymond, because LSUs standard at cornerback does not leave much room for growing pains. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Has A Familiar Recruiting Problem Brewing At Corner Again
LSUs 2027 recruiting class is off to a strong start overall, sitting No. 11 nationally by Rivals with 16 commits and a dozen blue-chip prospects. But the class has a familiar-looking hole in it, and it is one that has mattered to the Tigers before: cornerback. Right now, the group includes only one committed corner, three-star Markez Davis, leaving LSU with little margin for error at a position where it has not consistently stacked elite high school talent in recent cycles.
That shortage puts extra pressure on the staff to keep working the board and, if necessary, chase flips as the cycle develops. LSU has leaned on the transfer portal for defensive backs in the past, but that route has not always solved the problem for long, and the Tigers would prefer to build more of that room the old-fashioned way. If they cannot land a major addition at corner in this class, the concern is not just about one recruiting board - it is about whether LSU is again drifting toward a thin pipeline of homegrown talent at a premium spot. [Read more 🡒]