By Mark Pszonak
Many of the top high school recruits who signed in December are already on their respective college campuses working out with their new teams. While most have been on campus for less than two months, some have quickly made a favorable impression. One of these is LSU CB DJ Pickett, who head coach Brian Kelly was excited to recently talk about:
Brian Kelly and the #LSU Tigers have retooled the defensive backfield this offseason.
One name that stands out: DJ Pickett.
The No. 1 CB in America is already turning heads in Baton Rouge as an early-enrollee.
All eyes remain on the 5-star corner.
“This is an elite player.” pic.twitter.com/64FsAiYhrL
— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) February 18, 2025
Having Coach Kelly refer to Pickett as “elite” and a “lockdown corner” shouldn’t be too surprising considering he was a consensus five-star recruit in the Class of 2025, but it also isn’t often that a coach is so willing to throw praise at a player who has hardly unpacked.
Pickett, 6-foot-4 and 180-pounds, was equally impressive on the offensive side of the ball during his high school career at Zephyrhills in Florida, which Coach Kelly also brought up. It is unlikely that he will get an opportunity to showcase these skills in Baton Rouge, but it also shouldn’t be considered impossible.
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The current focus at LSU is to improve Pickett’s coverage skills in the coming months as he is very likely to quickly become an important part of the Tigers’ secondary in 2025. He has the potential to be the next great LSU defensive back, to go along with stars like Patrick Peterson, Derek Stingley, Jamal Adams, Tre’Davious White, Tyrann Mathieu, Corey Webster and Morris Claiborne. This list is long and impressive, but Pickett is already showcasing the skills that may put him in this group in a few years.
