LSU CB DJ Pickett Credits Coach Corey Raymond For Tough Love And Coaching

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

DJ Pickett had a banner freshman season at LSU in the 2025 season after signing with the Tigers as the No. 1 cornerback in the country, according to On3.com, from Zephyrhills High near Tampa.

He was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and made the All-Southeastern Conference freshman by league coaches. Pickett (6-foot-4, 189 pounds) tied for the team lead in interceptions with three, sacked the quarterback twice, made 37 tackles and allowed only three touchdowns through 304 coverage snaps in 13 games and three starts last season.

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But maybe LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, who recruited Pickett, felt like that was the type season that Pickett was supposed to have. He was the No. 2 player in Florida and No. 24 prospect in the nation by 247sports.com.

“I’m not going to lie,” Pickett said Thursday after a spring practice. “Coach Raymond, he keeps me locked in. He doesn’t tell me the good. He tells me the bad, really. He don’t tell me nothing good. He just tells me everything that I need to work on.”

And so far that negative-reinforcement approach seems to be working.

“Most people think I had a pretty good freshman year,” Pickett said. “But I feel like I could’ve done a lot better. That’s what I’m working on now. I need to get a little stronger, bigger and know the game more.”

The latest from LSU spring practice … @andrechampagnee https://t.co/8dUeMOWV3X

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That’s where Raymond comes in. A former LSU cornerback (1987-91), Raymond, 56, played in the NFL from 1992-99 with the New York Giants, Jacksonville, Detroit and San Diego. He was an LSU defensive backs coach from 2012-21 and at Florida in 2022 and ’23 before returning to LSU in 2024.

“Coach Raymond’s a real technician,” Pickett said. “He’s not just a coach to me. He’s a real mentor. Outside of my dad (Damien Pickett, Sr.), I see him as a father figure. He helped me grow as a cornerback.”

Raymond with defensive coordinator Blake Baker have met their match with the passing game and overall offensive attack of new LSU coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who authored one of the nation’s best offenses during their time at Ole Miss. But so far the LSU defense is winning through two weeks of practices and scrimmages.

“It’s always good to dominate your opponent,” Pickett said. “But coach Kiffin and that offense – they challenge us each and every single day. We’re growing. They’re helping us. We’re helping each other. It’s a competitive mindset every day.”