The State of the LSU Football Cornerback Room Following Transfer Portal Moves

Corey Raymond continues retooling the defensive backfield, adds several instant impact pieces in December.

Courtesy of DJ Pickett's Instagram.

Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff continue retooling the defensive backfield with impactful pieces set to make their way to Baton Rouge this offseason.

Led by elite-level evaluator Corey Raymond, the architect to "DBU" in Death Valley, there's been an uptick in talented players making their way to LSU.

It started with DJ Pickett, the No. 1 cornerback in America, signing with the program in December and has since trickled into Transfer Portal success.

LSU will return 2024 starter Ashton Stamps along with youngster PJ Woodland heading into 2025, but who else will be on the roster?

Meet the Newcomers in the Cornerback Room:

DJ Pickett: No. 1 Cornerback in America

Pickett, the No. 1 cornerback in America, stayed true to his LSU commitment after revealing a pledge to the program in July.

It became monumental signing for Corey Raymond and the LSU defensive staff after holding on down the stretch heading into National Signing Day. Pickett received significant interest, along with NIL packages, from Oregon, Georgia and Miami, among several others.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder out of the Sunshine State provides LSU with an elite-level talent to help rebuild the "DBU" tradition in Baton Rouge.

What do the experts believe Pickett can bring the program? On3 Sports Director of Recruiting weighs in:

"DJ Pickett projects being recruited as a corner, and he’s a unique prospect at that position. He’s very tall, north of 6’3 and probably closer to 6’4. He’s long and rangy and has elite length and has high-end athleticism and ball skills to go with that. His wingspan is 6’11 and runs a 10.6 in the 100 meters, so at a traits-based position, he registers as an elite prospect in that regard.

“When you see how he plays on Friday nights, it’s even more encouraging with more than 1,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns and also plays safety for his high school. He’s not afraid to be a physical run defender, and compared to the other cornerbacks in this class, he’s both the most physically gifted and the most physical. That’s a really encouraging combination, and while he still needs to convert to corner from a technical standpoint, we don’t have any concerns about that because of his movement skills and athleticism.”

The rebuild of "DBU" in Baton Rouge will start with Pickett, but the key pieces the program has assembled will make all the difference. He's already in Baton Rouge practicing with the program.

Corey Raymond’s rebuild of “DBU” is in full swing this offseason.

The Newcomers:
- DJ Pickett: No. 1 CB in America
- Aidan Anding: No. 1 CB in Louisiana
- Mansoor Delane: No. 2 CB in Portal
- Ja’Keem Jackson: No. 8 CB in Portal

Now, Pickett has arrived.

(🎥: @LSUfootball) pic.twitter.com/sRHB94AVQg

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) December 23, 2024

Aidan Anding: No. 1 Cornerback in Louisiana

The Ruston (La.) defensive back announced a commitment to Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers in late August with Anding making the decision to stay home for college.

Anding, a player the LSU staff made a heavy push for over the summer, wrapped up a monstrous senior campaign for Ruston High.

He entered the season as a Top 5 cornerback in The Boot, but after an impressive final season of prep ball, Anding has now boosted his status to the No. 1 cornerback in Louisiana.

The 6-foot-, 170-pounder has flown up the recruiting rankings with Corey Raymond and Co. striking gold on the trail once again.

“Really, it’s the in-state school, but me, I wasn’t much of a football player (growing up),” Anding told On3. “I was a basketball player, but I didn’t really watch basketball that much. I had nothing in my mind about football. But, after hearing (about LSU) and seeing stuff about it, it’s a good program, for one, and it’s the in-state school with a lot of fans and love shown to that program.”

Mansoor Delane: No. 2 Cornerback in the Transfer Portal

The Virginia Tech transfer pledged to Brian Kelly and the Tigers last Monday after three seasons with the Hokies. During his time in the ACC, Delane tallied 146 tackles, 16 pass breakups, six interceptions and four forced fumbles.

In 2024, Delane had his "coming out party" after tallying four interceptions on the season while leading the Hokies in the category. Now, the No. 2 rated cornerback in the NCAA Transfer Portal is Baton Rouge bound to help the Tigers' defensive backfield.

Ja'Keem Jackson: No. 8 Cornerback in the Transfer Portal

Ja’Keem Jackson, a season-opening starter at cornerback for Florida this year, has signed with LSU. He comes to LSU after two years at Florida where he appeared in 13 games recording 11 tackles, four pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.

He started the first two games of the 2024 season at cornerback for Florida before an ankle injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

In 2023 as a true freshman, Jackson appeared in 11 games, tallying seven tackles and three pass breakups. A native of Kissimmee, Fla., Jackson was a consensus four-star prospect at Osceola High School where he was named an ESPN Top 300 player and rated as the nation’s No. 3 overall cornerback by On3.

As a senior, he helped lead his team to a 10-4 record and a semifinal appearance in the Florida high school playoffs.

More LSU News:

LSU Adds Commitments From Seven Top-100 Transfers in the Portal

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.