Lane Kiffin’s whirlwind courtship of Texas talent hit paydirt again: Longhorns wide receiver De’Anthony “Trey” Moore III, the Biletnikoff finalist whose one-handed grabs lit up the SEC, has committed to LSU, sources confirm, drawn by a $2.2 million NIL bonanza and the chance to dominate in Kiffin’s explosive scheme. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound sophomore — who exploded for 68 receptions, 1,048 yards, and 12 touchdowns in 2025, pacing the conference in yards after catch (712) — announced the move via X just 24 hours after Texas’ 27-17 Black Friday thriller over A&M, forgoing any Peach Bowl participation to ignite the Tigers’ immediate reload. For Kiffin, whose $91 million, seven-year pact has already lured QBs Marcel Reed (A&M) and Behren Morton (Texas Tech), plus Auburn’s Jackson Arnold, Moore’s bolt is the portal crown jewel — a direct hit on SEC rival Steve Sarkisian and a turbocharge for a Baton Rouge offense that averaged a paltry 22.6 points per game under Brian Kelly.
Moore’s saga at Texas was electric but edged with unrest: A Houston North Shore product and 2024’s No. 3 overall recruit, he synced seamlessly with Arch Manning’s poise, hauling in 17.3 yards per catch and scoring in seven straight from Weeks 3-9, including a 75-yard bomb in the A&M clincher. Yet, locker room fractures — cliques, leaked film, and social media barbs that fractured the squad — boiled over post-win, with Manning personally urging Sarkisian to cut ties in a November 28 office showdown. “Trey’s gifts are elite, but division kills dynasties,” one staffer paraphrased the QB’s plea. Sarkisian, in Year 4 of a 45-20 revival, axed Moore Monday amid a $49.6 million buyout extension, but the portal’s one-way door swung wide: Kiffin, the 50-year-old wizard who bailed on 11-1 Ole Miss (promoting Pete Golding as interim), swooped with a Sunday DM, pitching “YAC heaven” in his tempo attack that ranked third nationally in passing (342.8 YPG).
The NIL math? Staggering. Texas collectives valued Moore at $1.4 million (local energy, apparel plugs), but LSU’s $25 million booster war chest — Gov. Jeff Landry-fueled — counters with $2.2 million upfront (Cane’s, auto groups, a Baton Rouge billboard empire), per insiders. NCAA rules sideline him for Texas’ postseason, fast-tracking a Tiger debut in a projected Gator Bowl vs. Clemson. “This was family first — Texas is home, but Lane’s vision? Explosive freedom,” Moore posted, his montage (Manning dimes to purple fades) racking 300K views. Sarkisian, gutted in his SEC title prepper: “Trey’s a talent we cherished — portal’s brutal, but culture wins titles.”
For the Longhorns (11-1, No. 4 playoff seed), the void aches: Moore’s absence thrusts freshman Isaiah Bond and Adonai Mitchell into WR1 duties for the December 7 SEC Championship vs. Georgia, where a win nets a top-two bye. Fanbase fury flared on X — #HookEmHeartbreak trended with 120K impressions, memes skewering Kiffin as “The Texas Thief” — but Sarkisian doubled down: “We’re deeper than ever — Arch leads, we adapt.” Texas’ top-5 2026 class holds, but portal perils (CJ Baxter whispers) loom.
Kiffin’s Tigers (7-5), still raw from Kelly’s $53 million ouster and a 17-13 OU loss, now boast a QB carousel (Reed, Morton, Arnold) feeding Moore’s hands — a nightmare for secondaries. The $13 million maestro, whose Rebels topped FBS scoring (42.1 PPG), vows “fearless firepower” in his Tiger Stadium intro: “We’re not patching; we’re priming for parades.” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum: “Kiffin’s poaching Longhorns stars? Sark’s worst nightmare — Baton Rouge just bought a Biletnikoff.”
As the portal hums (Dec. 9 official open), Moore’s moonshot from Austin to the Bayou spotlights NIL’s northbound flow: Stars chase schemes and stacks. For Texas, a scar on Sark’s renaissance; for LSU, a supernova start to the Kiffin kaleidoscope.
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