Landing DJ Pickett elevates LSU Football's chances with other top recruits
On Wednesday night, the LSU Football program sent shockwaves through the College Football recruiting world landing cornerback DJ Pickett. The Tigers beat out in-state Miami who had family ties with Pickett and Oregon who reportedly has an unlimited NIL budget thanks to Nike founder Phil Knight.
Landing DJ Pickett gives the LSU Football program a massive star to point to when recruiting like it has on the offensive side of the football with Bryce Underwood and Harlem Berry. This should especially help in the secondary as LSU only holds commitments from Pickett and Jhase Thomas.
The Tigers will get a chance to add another defensive back this weekend when former LSU Football commit Jaboree Antoine picks a landing spot. Antoine is ranked as the 87th-ranked player in the class and he will pick between LSU, Florida State, and Miami. Landing DJ Pickett may have had an impact on Antoine as he reposted the news of Pickett's commitment.
A player who this may have had an interesting impact on is five-star safety and star baseball recruit Jonah Williams. The Tigers seemingly made decent progress with the two-sport star early on this summer but, still seemingly trailed Oregon, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. Williams has no set commitment date and with Pickett on board and the turnover in Texas A&M's baseball program, the Tigers may have a shot at the two-sport star.
— Jonah “Island Boi🏝️” Williams (@JonahW409) July 17, 2024
Landing DJ Pickett showed a ton about the LSU program
The fact of the matter is that one of the biggest stories about the LSU Football team that we heard this spring is that Brian Kelly wasn't in the market of buying players which Bryce Underwood and Harlem Berry dispelled saying the players got what they deserved. To land DJ Pickett over Miami and Oregon the team likely flexed its muscles in the NIL game which many didn't expect they could do. The Tigers now land among the top teams in this recruiting cycle and with about nine scholarships left to fill the Tigers can easily finish this cycle with the top recruiting class.