Who to Watch For: LSU Cornerbacks Who Are Turning Heads at Fall Camp

BY ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, TIGER RAG STAFF Reporter

LSU has not produced an elite cornerback in several years. With the absence of defensive back coach Corey Raymond, LSU fell behind in developing its defensive backs. But this year is different in Raymond’s second year back with the Tigers.

Head coach Brian Kelly made it an effort to hit the portal heavy to go out and get experienced players this offseason. Last season, LSU DB’s struggled to be aggressive, especially on plays on the ball. Raymond and the cornerbacks work each day on improving their footwork, pursuit, and ability to make plays on the ball.

Three specific cornerbacks have stood out during fall camp so far: Mansoor Delane, PJ Woodland and Ashton Stamps. All three look to contribute to getting a group that was once known as DBU back up to par.

Senior transfer Mansoor Delane came to Baton Rouge so that he could compete for a national championship and to be developed by Raymond. His experience itself brings veteran leadership to a young DB room. Delane is a very versatile player. He is known to make plays whether that is breaking up passes, tight-coverage, open-field tackling or even getting to the quarterback. Delane is a very physical DB that has the ability to play all around the field but will most likely handle the outside cornerback position with the Tigers.

Delane has been flying around in Blake Baker’s defense so far in camp. He has made numerous plays on the ball in man coverage during practice. Delane has also been able to get to the backfield by stopping the run. Something that has stuck out the most for the fourth-year corner is his play recognition. Delane has blown up many plays so far in camp and is reading quarterbacks well. Kelly says that Delane’s intelligence comes from his four years of experience.

“(Mansoor) certainly possesses the intellect and intuition to make those plays when they’re in front of him. We wanted guys that played a lot of football,” Kelly said.

Another cornerback that has opened the eyes of the LSU staff is PJ Woodland. The Hattiesburg native returns for his second season after appearing in all 13 games for the Tigers his freshman year. Woodland’s fall camp has been one of the most impressive of all the Tigers. He has an interception, multiple PBU’s and has kept up with the speedy receivers in coverage. Woodland is not only playing a bit of nickel, but he is also lining up at outside corner. Kelly says that his versatility is valuable, especially in the SEC.

“He’s a very smart player, so we can move him around. Not everyone can play that position, so he brings that,” Kelly said.

Ashton Stamps is a name that is flying under radars during fall camp. Stamps brings two legitimate years of experience to the cornerback room where he played significant time in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Stamps is lining up on the opposite side of Delane at the outside corner position. In fall camp, he has been more physical in his coverage, especially when using his hands in press coverage.

Facing speedy and explosive wideouts each day in practice is not an easy task, but the LSU corners are embracing the challenges and holding their own in camp.