Freshman Phenom 3.0: The Rise of LSU CB Ashton Stamps

Stamps continue to impress, flying up the Tigers depth chart throughout camp.

LSU cornerback Ashton Stamps has been the talk of the town over the last few days as his meteoric rise up the depth chart continues. 

The freshman has made an impact during fall camp and has seen his stock soar through nine days of practice. Stamps, a Louisiana native, committed to the Tigers last year after earning an offer at an LSU camp and hasn’t looked back.

The lowest-rated recruit in LSU’s 2023 cycle, he’s played above his ranking and let his game do all of the talking ever since arriving in Baton Rouge this summer.

Can Stamps make an immediate impact this fall? Can he be another freshman phenom the Tigers can rely on?

The Meteoric Rise

Stamps was an under evaluated prospect through high school, but after putting on significant size this offseason, it’s changed his game drastically. 

He’s noticeably stronger and it’s been a key piece to his game when lining up against physical players like Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.

Brian Kelly praised Stamps’ diligent work in the weight room and how he quickly utilized the resources in Baton Rouge. He looks the part and Kelly raved about the rise of his true freshman cornerback.

"Ashton's a true freshman who put on a lot of weight. I think many of you remember us recruiting him, maybe he was a bit, I would say, underweight at the position for us,” Kelly said during fall camp. “We're excited about his competitiveness and his athleticism but we challenged him to get after it in the weight room and he certainly did in the offseason and then this summer and he looks the part. He's doing a really good job as a true freshman."

Where Does Stamps Sit on the Depth Chart?

After nine days of fall camp, Southeastern transfer Zy Alexander and Syracuse transfer Duce Chestnut have been the two go-to cornerbacks for this LSU defense, but Stamps has been getting reps as the No. 3 guy for the Tigers.

Alexander, Chestnut, Stamps, Laterrance Welch and Denver Harris have been the five cornerbacks the Tigers have utilized.

LSU safety Greg Brooks praised Stamps and the work he’s put in. Both players are from around the New Orleans area and have trained with each other for quite some time and Brooks has expected the youngster to make an impact sooner rather than later.

"He's doing great. I expected nothing less of him, working out with him since I was a sophomore and college and he was like a junior, sophomore in high school. I expected nothing less,” Brooks said on Monday.

Playing Above His Age

LSU wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. met with the media on Monday and raved about one play Stamps made during camp. It was a play that’s stood with Hilton throughout the last few days and the Tigers made it a point to bring it up during film.

"Ashton is going to be a very good player. We saw a play in film, I think he was in Cover 2. He rerouted the receiver, then dropped back and then made the pick. That's something you don't see every day from a freshman. He's going to be pretty good,” Hilton said.

There have been a few key plays Stamps has made over the last few days and he seemingly comes up with a pass breakup each and every day. He’s shined when this program has needed a cornerback to emerge and has the chance to take on a major role this season in Death Valley for an LSU secondary looking to hit its stride.