Tag: dj pickett

Five-star LSU commit DJ Pickett visits Georgia

Should LSU fans be concerned about DJ Pickett flipping to Georgia?

LSU commit [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] was originally expected to be in Gainesville for LSU’s meeting with the Gators, but a change of plans had Pickett in Athens.

Pickett is a key piece of LSU’s loaded 2025 class. He’s a five-star and the top-ranked cornerback in the cycle. LSU head coach hired Corey Raymond to land DBs of Pickett’s caliber. Pickett’s commitment in the summer offered a promising early return on Raymond.

It’s hard to tell whether Pickett spending the night in Athens means anything. He’s been firmly committed to LSU and reaffirmed his commitment after the Tigers’ loss to Alabama. When there has been speculation about a flip, it’s largely been about Miami or Oregon.

Throughout the cycle, there were never many reports about Pickett ending up at Georgia.

Still, Kirby Smart is an elite recruiter; getting a prospect of Pickett’s caliber on campus means something. If Georgia wants to make a late push, the Dawgs have the resources to do it. Pickett saw UGA win a primetime-ranked matchup while LSU was upset by Florida.

According to On3, LSU’s 2025 class ranks No. 5 nationally.

Should LSU be worried about losing 5-star corner DJ Pickett?

DJ Pickett is the headliner of LSU’s 2025 defensive class. Can LSU hold on down the stretch?

Most of the 2025 five-stars have already committed, which means teams must push for flips if they wish to add a five-star to their class.

Miami is doing just that with five-star LSU commit [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag]. It came as somewhat of a surprise when Pickett committed to LSU over the summer. Now, the Tigers will be tested to hold on down the stretch.

According to On3, Pickett will visit Miami this weekend.

“Mario Cristobal has been relentless in his communication,” On3’s Steve Wiltfong said, “but I think the push is only going to continue as you get close to the early signing period in December.”

Pickett is a Florida native and LSU fought hard to beat out Pickett’s home-state teams, but that always gets tougher as signing day nears.

According to the On3 Industry Rankings, Pickett is the No. 8 overall prospect and the No. 2 overall corner. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] brought secondary coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] back to LSU with the hope of landing defensive backs of Pickett’s caliber.

Raymond is off to a good start with Pickett on board, along with blue-chips [autotag]Kade Phillips[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Bradford[/autotag] and [autotag]Aidan Anding[/autotag].

LSU’s had trouble building a consistent the last few years, but the 2025 class offers a chance to build a strong core on the backed. Keeping Pickett in the fold will be critical for Kelly and the LSU coaching staff as signing day nears.

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LSU receives prediction to flip 4-star safety from Houston

The Tigers are trending to flip Jacob Bradford from Houston.

LSU recently received some good news on the recruiting front as the Tigers are projected to flip a four-star safety who is currently committed to Houston.

[autotag]Jacob Bradford[/autotag] is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound, four-star safety from LSU’s backyard. He plays for Catholic High School in Baton Rouge. Bradford is a member of the 2025 recruiting class and he has been committed to Houston since June 23.

LSU currently has the No. 4 overall 2025 recruiting class. The Tigers currently have two safety commits for the class. [autotag]CJ Jimcoily[/autotag] and [autotag]Jhase Thomas[/autotag] are both three-star safeties who are committed to LSU.

There are currently 26 commitments for the class, headlined by three five-star players. [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag], and [autotag]Derek Meadows[/autotag] are the five-star players committed to LSU.

If Bradford were to commit and sign with the Tigers, it would be a big pickup for [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]. He continues to try to recruit the boot at a high rate.

https://twitter.com/On3Recruits/status/1843038542349717889

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Five-star DB committed to LSU reacts to Florida-Miami game

It might be tough for Florida to flip 5-star LSU commit DJ Pickett after he witnessed the Gators’ Week 1 loss to Miami in person.

Zephyrhills (Florida) High School cornerback [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] said he was 1,000% committed to the LSU Tigers ahead of his visit to Florida last weekend. After seeing UF fall to Miami on Saturday, 41-17, the Gators’ path to flipping Pickett is unclear.

Pickett wasn’t too critical of Florida following the loss, but he appears firm in his commitment to LSU. Saturday’s outcome might have helped Miami more than Florida, too.

“It was a good matchup with two Florida teams going at it,” Pickett told Blake Alderman of 247Sports. “All the Florida people came out. Just a good atmosphere. Miami showed me a lot today. Florida, yeah, they did good today.”

Pickett is no stranger to The Swamp, but he hadn’t quite experienced a rivalry game day atmosphere until Saturday.

DJ Pickett’s relationship with coaches

However, atmosphere doesn’t outweigh relationships for Pickett, who said he’s likely to land wherever LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond is. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Raymond spent the past two years coaching Florida’s secondary under Billy Napier.

Raymond’s departure from the program figured to have recruiting implications for Florida, and Pickett might be the biggest of those losses.

Still, Florida is hoping to persuade  him to stay in the Sunshine State and to come play under the team’s new secondary coach Will Harris.

“I said what’s up to coach Harris. It was just a brief conversation, but it was a good conversation. It was a small amount of time. Coach Harris is one of my guys, too.”

The Gators expect to get Pickett back on campus for the LSU game in November, but that could wind up the same way the Miami game went. Florida tried to get Pickett on an official visit for the Samford game, despite the five-star recruit pushing for the Miami visit to be an official one.

Recruiting Summary

Pickett is a consensus five-star recruit ranked inside the top 15 on all four major recruiting services. The 247Sports composite and On3 industry ranking agree that Pickett is the No. 7 overall recruit and No. 2 cornerback in the class of 2025.

Before committing to LSU on July 17, recruiting experts favored the Oregon Ducks to land Pickett. The On3 recruiting prediction machine still has Oregon listed as the favorite at 51.2%, which has many believing his recruitment is still open.

Florida hasn’t led the On3 RPM since May 10 when the Gators were at 19.9%. Currently, UF has a 1.1% chance to sign Pickett.

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5-star LSU commit to visit Florida for Week 1 matchup against Miami

DJ Pickett remains “1,000 percent committed” to the Tigers and has several upcoming visits set.

Five-star cornerback [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] has been solid in his commitment to LSU since he pledged last month, but now the top-10 2025 prospect is set to visit an SEC rival.

He is reportedly heading to Gainesville to see Florida’s season opener against Miami on Saturday. However, it seems Tigers fans may have nothing to fear here. According to On3’s Shea Dixon, Pickett is going to see his cousin, Booker Pickett Jr., make his true freshman debut for the Hurricanes.

His father said Pickett was “1,000 percent committed” to LSU and would take several upcoming trips to Tiger Stadium. On3’s Steve Wiltfong reported that he’s eying three visits to Baton Rouge.

Pickett is the second-highest-rated commit in LSU’s 2025 class, which ranks third nationally. He’s also one of two top-10 commits, joining quarterback Bryce Underwood, who is the No. 1 overall prospect in the cycle.

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3-star Louisiana cornerback Aidan Anding commits to LSU

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers have landed another cornerback in the 2025 recruiting class.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers have landed another cornerback in the 2025 recruiting class.

Three-star cornerback [autotag]Aidan Anding[/autotag] has announced his commitment to LSU. Anding is a 5-foot-11, 160-pound, three-star corner from Ruston, Louisiana, where he plays for Ruston High School. The Ruston Bearcats are preparing for their 2024 season opener against Neville on Aug. 31.

Anding chose the Tigers over Texas, Arkansas, Miami, TCU and others. LSU’s [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] is currently ranked as the No. 3 class in the country according to 247Sports. The Tigers only trail Ohio State and Alabama for the top spot.

Anding is the third cornerback commitment of the class joining four-star [autotag]Cade Phillips[/autotag] and five-star [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag]. Kelly has had to rely on the transfer portal in recent years to fill spots in his secondary but he is recruiting at a high enough level in the secondary that he may not need the transfer portal as much.

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Where LSU stands for No. 1 safety Jonah Williams days before his commitment

LSU has made Jonah Williams a priority this summer, but the Tigers seemingly have some ground to make up here.

LSU already has a top-three class in the 2025 recruiting cycle, but it really has the chance to take things up a notch on Saturday.

Jonah Williams, a five-star recruit from Ball (Galveston, Tex.) and the No. 1 safety in America, is set to announce his decision with the Tigers as a finalist alongside Texas A&M, Texas, Oregon and USC.

LSU has long made Williams a top priority, hosting him for an official visit in June where he was also recruited by the baseball staff. The two-sport star is expected to play baseball wherever he ultimately signs.

The Tigers had some momentum at one point, but now, it looks as though they have some ground to make up. Texas A&M holds a trio of crystal balls for the No. 10 player in America from 247Sports, while Texas is a 54.5% favorite to land him according to On3.

It would be a bit of a surprise at this point if Williams commits to LSU, but coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the staff continue to push hard down the stretch to land another elite defensive back as it already has a commitment from No. 1 cornerback [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag].

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LSU flips 4-star cornerback Kade Phillips from Texas

Brian Kelly pulled off a masterclass as he flipped a four-star cornerback commitment from Texas to LSU.

After landing a three-star tight end on Saturday, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] pulled off a masterclass as he flipped a four-star cornerback commitment from Texas to LSU.

[autotag]Kade Phillips[/autotag] is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound, four-star cornerback from Missouri City, Texas, where he plays for Hightower High School. The Fort Bend Hightower Hurricanes look to improve on their 12-2 season last year as they start their season against Clear Falls.

Phillips becomes the 24th commit of the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] and the second cornerback commitment of the class joining five-star [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] from Zephyrhills, Florida. The Tigers 2025 class is currently ranked as the No. 3 class in the country, only trailing Ohio State and Alabama.

For the past few seasons, Kelly has had to depend on players from the transfer portal to fill his secondary. It appears as though he may be shifting from that to prep players to make a huge impact in the back end of his defense.

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LSU lands 3-star defensive tackle in 2025 recruiting class

On Monday, Brian Kelly and his recruiting staff landed another commitment in the 2025 recruiting class.

On Monday, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his recruiting staff landed another commitment in the 2025 recruiting class when the Tigers picked up a three-star defensive tackle from Arlington, Texas.

[autotag]Dilan Battle[/autotag] is a 6-foot-3, 300-pound, three-star defensive tackle from Arlington, where he plays for Mansfield Timberview High School. The Tigers were not projected to land him. SMU was a 24% favorite to land him per On3’s recruiting prediction machine.

Battle becomes the third defensive lineman to commit to the Tigers in the 2025 class, joining fellow three-stars [autotag]Brandon Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Williams[/autotag]. The Tigers 2025 class is ranked No. 3 in the country according to 247Sports.

The class is headlined by five-stars [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag], [autotag]Derek Meadows[/autotag] and [autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag]. Brian Kelly has signed a top-10 class every year since he arrived in Baton Rouge. This class looks like it could be his greatest work yet. There is still a long time before the early signing period, and the Tigers are not done yet.

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LSU a winner on the recruiting trail in the month of July

After a slow start to the summer, LSU kicked things into high gear during July.

As the calendar turns to August and LSU prepares to begin fall camp ahead of the 2024 season, it has quite a bit of momentum on the recruiting trail.

After a slow start to the summer that saw the Tigers lose a couple of top-100 commitments, it was a big July as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and staff landed a handful of top targets headlined by five-star cornerback [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag], five-star receiver [autotag]Derek Meadows[/autotag] and top-100 EDGE [autotag]Damien Shanklin[/autotag].

It also ended the month with a flip on Wednesday, landing former South Carolina linebacker commit [autotag]Jaiden Braker[/autotag].

On3 broke down its recruiting winners from the month of July, and it should be no surprise that LSU found itself on the list.

Brian Kelly and his staff again proved their recruiting chops, beating out the longtime perceived favorites for a number of key additions. None were bigger than Five-Star Plus+ cornerback DJ Pickett — thought to be headed to Oregon until the 11th hour. A top-five prospect nationally, Pickett is a monstrous addition for the Tigers’ secondary group going forward.

Three days after that, the Bayou Bengals beat out Notre Dame for elite wide receiver Derek Meadows, adding a huge piece for Five-Star Plus+ QB Bryce Underwood on offense. Those two were the headliners, but Kelly and Co. rounded things out with top-100 EDGE, Damien Shanklin, On3 top-100 defensive lineman Zion Williams, four-star DL Brandon Brown, On300 safety Jhase Thomas, and three-star linebacker Jaiden Braker.

LSU’s class currently ranks third nationally, and it could push for an even higher spot as it’s still in the mix for some top prospects such as five-star safety [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag], who it is currently trending for.

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