High school cornerback DJ Pickett, a five-star recruit in the 2025 class, announced that he’d be committing to play at LSU on Wednesday.

Pickett is ranked as the No. 3 cornerback in the nation and the No. 9 player overall, according to 247Sports, making him a major pull for head coach Brian Kelly and his staff.

Other recruiting sites, such as On3, have Pickett ranked as high as the No. 1 cornerback and No. 6 overall recruit.

Pickett plays high school football at Zephyrhills High School in Tampa, Florida, where he’ll soon play his senior season.

After that, he’ll be a major boon for a pass defense that has been an issue in recent years for LSU. Last season, the Tigers ranked No. 115 in the country in passing yards allowed, and even with a coaching revamp for this upcoming season, it’s clear the team could use reinforcements in the secondary.

LSU has struggled recently to attract top recruiting talent at the cornerback position, with only three commits rated as four-stars or higher since 2021, two of which have since transferred.

The last major cornerback recruit LSU landed was five-star Eli Ricks in 2020, who produced two standout seasons for the Tigers before transferring to Alabama.

Newly-hired secondary coach Corey Ramond, who also coached at LSU from 2006 to 2021, was instrumental in securing Pickett’s commitment.

Pickett chose LSU over Miami and Oregon, who recently beat out the Tigers for five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore.

Pickett joins a recruiting class for LSU that’s currently rankd No. 4 in the nation and includes the No. 1 overall prospect in quarterback Bryce Underwood, among a total of 17 commits.

He’ll first be on the field with the team for the 2025 season.