LSU includes leading athlete Pickett to promoted 2025 class

• Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterJul 17, 2024, 07:37 PM ET

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  Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.LSU landed

its fifth and most high-profile dedication of the month Wednesday evening, vanquishing Miami and Oregon for the pledge of first-class athlete D.J. Pickett, No. 14 in the ESPN 300 rankings.Pickett, a two-way

star from Zephyrhills, Florida, announced his commitment throughout a ceremony at Zephyrhills High School. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound prospect is the top-ranked athlete in the 2025 class and the No. 2 recruit from the state of Florida in this cycle.Between Pickett, No. 1 quarterback Bryce Underwood and No. 1 running back Harlem Berry, Brian Kelly and the Tigers now hold promises from the leading prospect in three various position groups in the existing cycle.Pickett, who is anticipated to play protective back at the next level, mentioned his connection with LSU secondary coach Corey Raymond and relationships with former Tigers defensive backs Patrick Peterson and Derek Stingley Jr. amongst the elements that pulled his dedication to Baton Rouge.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated “Me and Corey Raymond have an excellent bond,”Pickett informed ESPN.

“I’m a big relationship guy. And LSU

is DBU. Playing protective back there is a blessed area to be in. “? Pickett’s promise closes a tight recruitment that consisted of spring sees to LSU, Clemson, Georgia, Miami and Oregon

before he limited his list to the 3 finalists.The nephew of former Miami protective end Booker Pickett and cousin to Hurricanes freshman edge Booker Pickett Jr., Pickett holds household ties to Mario Cristobal’s program.

He also noted the palpable energy among Dan Lanning’s personnel at Oregon however was ultimately swayed by the chance offered at LSU.” All these 3 schools are excellent,”Pickett stated. “[ LSU] is just the place I feel I can grow the most and fulfill my dreams.”Pickett is now the second-highest-rated member of the Tigers’fifth-ranked class, per ESPN, tracking only Underwood, the No. 1 quarterback who has actually been devoted to LSU since January. With Pickett’s pledge, LSU is now as much as 12 ESPN 300 commits in 2025, and he stands among the program’s 3 top-100 devotes in the present cycle.A two-way standout at Zephyrhills, Pickett hauled in 52 passes for 1,033 backyards and 15 touchdowns with 31 total takes on and an interception throughout his junior season last fall. Far from football, Pickett is a district champ sprinter and also contends in

baseball and basketball. In addition to his Miami ties, Pickett is the nephew of former Ohio State nose tackle Ryan Pickett, who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers throughout his 14-year NFL profession(2001-14 ). Pickett joins defensive takes on Zion Williams(No. 15 DT in 2025)and Brandon Brown (No. 33 DT), defensive end Damien Shanklin (No. 17 DE)and safety Jhase Thomas(No. 32 safety)among the July additions to Kelly’s newest talent-rich class headed to LSU.