One LSU Tigers star freshman already making phenomenal plays in spring practices as immediate breakout star Brian Kelly
The LSU Tigers are already seeing the fruits of their labor this spring as stars from both their incredible Transfer Portal class and high school recruiting crew are breaking out in the first full week of practices.The first player to make significant noise this past week was transfer wide receiver Barion Brown. Now it's an […]
The LSU Tigers are already seeing the fruits of their labor this spring as stars from both their incredible Transfer Portal class and high school recruiting crew are breaking out in the first full week of practices.
The first player to make significant noise this past week was transfer wide receiver Barion Brown. Now it's an elite freshman talent's turn. LSU is going to need a ton of their new players to step up this year if they want to make a push to make the College Football Playoff in Garrett Nussmeier's final season, so it's good to see some new faces impressing already.
Who is this breakout freshman? It's five star phenom cornerback DJ Pickett.
DJ Pickett, Five Star Freshman LSU CB
It should not be surprising at all to hear that DJ Pickett is already impressing at spring practices for LSU, but it's still great to see. For those unfamiliar with Pickett, he's been a consensus five star recruit for nearly three years now.
Pickett's explosive two-way play at both wide receiver and cornerback made him one of the most highly coveted players in the nation as he brought in nearly 50 scholarship offers from top schools around the country. Now he's already confirming that he was worth the hype (as you can see in the post below).
At 6'4", with long arms and elite speed he's the perfect shut down outside cornerback that can take on wide receivers of all kinds. He's long enough to jam anyone and stick with anyone physically, but even when facing smaller shiftier receivers his 10.6 100-meter dash speed allows him to recover and close gaps to make plays consistently. It's no wonder he's already making interceptions in practice for the Tigers.
LSU has been excited about Pickett for quite some time now as the team was already posting about his early reps with the Tigers during bowl season practices. And it's clear that all those early reps are already adding up, as he's finding success right away.
Thanks to the remarkable recruiting work of Brian Kelly and his staff, there's not necessarily a rush to force Pickett onto the field, but he might earn that opportunity anyway.
The defense returns last year's leader in snaps at cornerback, Ashton Stamps. They brought in both Mansoor Delane (from Virginia Tech) and Tamarcus Cooley (from NC State) as veteran transfers to hold down potentially two cornerback roles as well. The Tigers also have PJ Woodland and Javien Toviano returning for developing depth. The cornerback depth clearly looks better than it has in years for LSU.
So yes, DJ Pickett may not be forced on to the field right away this fall. However, if he keeps shining in spring practices it's going to be tough to keep him out of the starting rotation given his physical upside. Let's hope he continues on his rapid upward trajectory in development.
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If you want to see some of the amazing plays that made DJ Pickett a five star cornerback talent just check out his highlights in the video below!
