DJ Pickett is headed to the SEC. Baton Rouge, to be precise.
The five-star secondary recruit, ranked atop the remaining amongst athlete projections within the Rivals250 and No. 9 no matter place, introduced his dedication to LSU on Wednesday night.
The Tigers edged in-state Miami and Oregon, every holding appreciable momentum at totally different factors of late, in what might be thought-about a shock vacation spot for a lot of.
“Coach (Corey) Raymond can construct that factor again up,” Pickett lately advised Rivals.
LSU’s prime 10 class now holds it is third five-star recruit inside it, as Pickett joins quarterback Bryce Underwood and operating again Harlem Berry atop Brian Kelly’s dedication listing.
Like Pickett, every is tabbed as the highest recruit of their respective state, too.
Pickett has lengthy talked in regards to the skill to make an early affect, along with the possibility to play each methods, as a significant component for the profitable program. Throw in the necessity to support the roster versus a need, he says, and the expectations might be sky excessive the second the five-star units foot on a university campus.
Zephyrhills (Fla.) Excessive Faculty coach Nick Carroll, who performed with and was round Damien Pickett in highschool and faculty, has lengthy recognized of the uncommon athleticism his former teammate’s son will deliver on the Energy 4 degree.
“Once I first noticed him, I assumed he was manner longer than I assumed he was,” Carroll stated. “To see him develop into the place he’s now…6-foot-4, 180 kilos…it has been particular. He is obtained a lot size, as soon as he will get his fingers on you…to have these measurables however to even have hips and toes such as you’re 5-10 may be very distinctive. It would not come round fairly often.
“Out and in of his breaks and his drive down, and he can run a ten.6 100…there’s a variety of attributes he has which might be thought-about elite. I have been teaching for 21 years and have by no means had one with as a lot in his ability set as he has.”
Pickett is not a giant social media man and infrequently agrees to interviews, however it would not reduce the potential he brings on the subsequent degree.
Carroll says he’s nonetheless the chief on his highschool staff regardless of being essentially the most coveted recruit in ZHS historical past.
“He is an introvert, a man that stays near his coronary heart,” he stated. “He competes at a excessive degree. Makes youngsters round him need to beat him, they’re consistently making an attempt to get higher to beat him. It creates a excessive degree of competitiveness and tradition. However he nonetheless jokes round and smiles, he is nonetheless a child.
“He is not the rah-rah man who’s gonna hype up the locker room, however his play will do a variety of talking for the phrases that he would not say.”
Raymond had lengthy prioritized Pickett, starting throughout his time courting him at Florida earlier than the longtime secondary coach took a job underneath Kelly again in January.
The Tiger buzz had hardly ever died down since.
