BATON ROUGE — In today’s landscape of recruiting and Name, Image and Likeness, there are no sure things.
D.J. Picket has been committed to LSU football since July. But that wasn’t going to stop other programs from pushing to gain his signature.
On the opening day of the early signing period, Brian Kelly and LSU emerged victorious in the Pickett sweepstakes as the prized recruit officially signed with the Tigers, honoring his commitment. The Tigers fought off a late charge from Miami to sign him.
Per the 247Sports Composite, Pickett, from Zephyrhills, Florida, is rated the third best cornerback in the country but to the LSU coaching staff, he was their top priority in the 2025 recruiting class.
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Pickett already possesses the physical traits to come into Baton Rouge and push for playing time right away. He’s long and lengthy at 6-foot-4, 175 pounds and his cover skills are elite. Because of his length, his range of top level and his size makes him hard for receivers to win matchups and high points.
After losing quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall rated recruit in the 2025 class, to Michigan just a couple of weeks before signing day, officially landing Pickett was a must for Kelly and his staff to rubber stamp what is a solid, top 10 overall class in college football.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz
