TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
Cornerback DJ Pickett answered his elite potential during the 2025 season for LSU, which signed him out of Zephyrhills High near Tampa as the No. 2 player at his position in the nation by On3.com.
Pickett played in all 13 games with three starts and picked off three passes while making three tackles for loss with two sacks and 37 tackles with 29 solos. He was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of American and freshman All-Southeastern Conference. He enters 2026 as a starter at cornerback.
TIGER RAG SCOUTING REPORT: Long, rangy cornerback with elite ball skills and recruiting pedigree and the physical tools to become a cornerstone of LSU’s secondary.
BIOGRAPHY NOTES: Lived up to his billing as the top cornerback for the Class of 2025, making an immediate impact during his true freshman season with the Tigers … Earned Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers of America Association (FWAA) and Freshman All-SEC … Also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll … Not your typical cornerback, standing 6-feet-5 … Tremendous wing span and range … Thrives in man-to-man coverage and isn’t fazed about being put on an island with a receiver … Mentality of a veteran as he’s able to shrug off previously play and move on to the next … Appeared in 13 games with 3 starts, seeing action on 524 defensive snaps … Tallied 37 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack in 2025 … Led team with 3 interceptions … Teams with junior PJ Woodland to give LSU one of the nation’s top cornerback tandems … Big part of LSU defense that led the SEC interceptions (17) and ranked No. 3 in the league in pass efficiency defense in 2025 … LSU was also only team in the SEC to have more interceptions (17) than touchdown passes allowed (14) in 2025 … Majoring in interdisciplinary studies.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2025)
Earned Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-America honors in his first season with the Tigers … Appeared in all 13 games with 3 starts … Starts came against Texas A&M, Western Kentucky and Houston in the Texas Bowl … Played 524 defensive snaps … In 304 pass coverage snaps, allowed 21 receptions for 248 yards and 3 TDs … Didn’t allow a passing TD in coverage until the final 2 games of the season (1 at Oklahoma, 2 vs. Houston in Texas Bowl) … Gave up just 12 first downs … Tallied 37 games, 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks … Tied for team-high honors with 3 interceptions to go along with 3 pass breakups and 6 passes defended … Capped season with career-best 7 tackles, including 1 for a 6-yard loss, and a pass breakup against Houston in Texas Bowl … First career interception came in win over Florida … Interception came at LSU 33-yard line with 2:15 left in fourth quarter with Tigers up 20-10 … Interception against Oklahoma came at LSU 7-yard line in third quarter and with Tigers leading 10-3 … Other interception came in win over Western Kentucky … Had 5 tackles including a sack for a sack for a 9-yard loss vs. Western Kentucky … Sack against South Carolina came with LSU up 20-10 and went for 12-yards in the fourth quarter forcing a third-and-20 situation for the Gamecocks with 1:24 left in the contest … Had 6 total tackles vs. South Carolina … Played on special teams – seeing action on 122 snaps (53 kickoff coverage, 44 punt return, 21 field goal block, 2 kickoff return).
HIGH SCHOOL
The top-rated player in LSU’s 2025 signing class and the nation’s premier prep cornerback for the Class of 2025 in this year’s class … A consensus 5-star prospect who is rated as the nation’s No. 1 cornerback by On3 and Rivals … Ranked as the No. 2 cornerback nationally by ESPN and 247Sports … In the On3 composite, listed as the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect, the No. 2 cornerback and the top player in the state of Florida … Rated as high as No. 6 overall nationally by On3 … Recorded 94 total tackles and 10 interceptions during his prep career … A playmaker on the offensive side of the ball as well, catching 130 passes for 2,577 yards and 25 touchdowns in high school … Also ran track, clocking a 10.7 in the 100-meter dash … Coached at Zephyrhills by Nick Carroll … Nephew of former NFL defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers.
CAREER HIGHS
Tackles: 7 vs. Houston, 2025 Texas Bowl
Tackles for Loss: 1.0, 3x (Last: vs. Houston, 2025 Texas Bowl; First: vs. South Carolina, 2025)
Sacks: 1.0, 2x (Last: vs. Western Kentucky, 2025; First: vs. South Carolina, 2025)
Interceptions: 1, 3x (Last: at Oklahoma, 2025; First: vs. Florida, 2025)
Pass Breakups: 1, 3x (Last: vs. Houston, 2025 Texas Bowl; First: vs. Louisiana Tech, 2025)
NEXT: Defensive End Jordan Ross
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