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Curne inks with LSU

Photo Credit: Chuck Livingston

CURNE INKS WITH LSU

By any measure, Marion senior left tackle Carius Curne is the most-recruited player in the history of the football program, and one of the five highest-rated recruits from Arkansas since 2000. So when Curne decided to sign his National Letter of Intent with Louisiana State last week, the site shifted from the customary Marion High School lobby to the school's gym to accommodate more fans and media. Curne ultimately picked LSU of the Southeastern Conference over almost 20 Power 4 offers, including 2024 College Football Playoff participants Georgia, Southern Methodist, and Tennessee. “I'm excited to get to LSU to keep working on everything I need to work on,” said Curne during his signing ceremony. “I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds because everybody doesn't get to play college football and I know I'm lucky.” “Carius has really grown up and come a long way in a short amount of time,” said Marion head football coach Lance Clark, who's coached several major college players and NFL players during his career. “He's an extremely talented young man, and we know he'll do huge things at LSU.” “He's one of the strongest, physically strongest, players I've recruited in some time,” said LSU head coach Brian Kelly in his Signing Day press conference. “He's physically imposing. When you turn on his film, you see him dominate his opponents. He is physically ready to play in the SEC right now. He's a special player.” Curne exits Marion as a two-time All-State performer for teams that finished a combined 22-11 from 2022-2024. He also earned the 6A East's Outstanding Lineman of the Year this past season. Every recruiting service has Curne as a four-star recruit, with a good chance of him earning the coveted fifth star prior to the next major signing day in February. Curne is almost universally considered the second-highest ranked interior offensive line in the country, and his 96 percent grade on 247Sports is the fourth-highest ranking of any in-state football player since 2000, just behind Auburn tailback Michael Dyer, Arkansas cornerback Darius Winston, Jr., and Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain, who in 2005 was the first player in the nation to be a consensus Gatorade, Parade, and USA Today Player of the Year. Curne's journey to the SEC was an interesting one, to say the least. He played receiver mostly in junior high, and he started as an offensive lineman for the first time as a sophomore left tackle. He produced an encouraging sophomore year in 2022 as Marion's left tackle, but he broke out that off-season, emerging as a high-level recruit with a rare skill set. He improved much as a junior and finished the 2023 season in a flurry, ultimately earning all-state honors as Marion finished as conference runners-up with an 8-3 record and an appearance in the state quarterfinals. “I just want to thank my coaches and my family and everybody for sticking with me and believing in me,” said Curne. “I couldn't have done any of this without y'all.” Curne is the first Marion football player to sign with a Power 4 (SEC, Big 10, Big 12, and ACC) since 2007 graduate Jerry Franklin signed with Arkansas before playing parts of four seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints. Prior to Franklin, Ray Brown signed with Memphis out of high school before transferring to Arkansas State, where he is in the Ring of Honor. After his ASU career, Brown played 19 years in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions. Brown was a starting offensive lineman for the 1991 Washington Redskins when they won the Super Bowl, and he was a 2001 AP first-team All-Pro for the 49ers. LSU has won three national football championships since 2003, the most recent title in 2019, and the Tigers have won double-digit games in two of Kelly's first three seasons at the school.

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