DJ Pickett commits to LSU; 5-star recruit picks Tigers over Miami (FL), Oregon

Pickett made his announcement in front of a crowd in Zephyrhills High School's gymnasium

Zephyrhills' 2025 5-star athlete DJ Pickett and his mother Tammie shortly after he committed to play his college football at LSU on July 17, 2024. / Andy Villamarzo

ZEPHYRHILLS, FLORIDA- All the buzz around the small town on the east side of Pasco County was where would Zephyrhills' 5-star defensive back DJ Pickett end up choosing.

Pickett, the nation's No. 3 overall prospect, narrowed is choices down to LSU, Miami (FL) and Oregon, but one ended up standing out among the rest.

The hometown star announced in front of dozens of family and friends that he will be committing to LSU, choosing the Tigers over Miami (FL) and Oregon, respectively. The versatile athlete is a consensus five-star recruit, rated the nation's No. 1 cornerback by On3 and the nation's No. 1 athlete/safety by Rivals.

It was just 10 days ago that Pickett announced his final three schools, dropping the Georgia Bulldogs out of the mix.

Pickett plays a role both on offense and defense for Zephyrhills, putting up some strong numbers in 2023. The fleet-footed 2-way dynamo had over 1,000 yards receiving and made 31 tackles at safety.

The junior helped the Bulldogs reach the Class 3S playoffs the last two seasons, going over the 1,000-yard receiving mark in both campaigns. 

.@DJPICKETT5 commits to @LSUfootball @SBLiveSports @SBLiveFL @AndrewNemec @PascoCountyFB pic.twitter.com/MQJmqlaYjc

— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) July 17, 2024

Pickett is arguably Pasco County's most heavily-recruited player of all time - with other notables being Bulldogs’ alum and former NFL'er Ryan Pickett (DJ's uncle) and Bryan Thomas, who ended up playing at the University of Florida. 

Here's what 247Sports has to say about Pickett as a prospect:

"A tall, lanky two-way playmaker with foot speed and ball production. Size and weight haven’t been verified in a while, but length is noticeable on tape. Projects best as a field corner that can take away throwing windows or a deep safety that can roam over the top. Came down with four interceptions as a sophomore and had a pick-six early on in his junior season. Will lay the lumber if the opportunity presents itself. Quickly closes gaps with his elite burst and tends to take sharper angles in run support. Has the reach to match large tight ends and perimeter targets. Will fight through hands, but must improve prowess as an open-field tackler and will eventually need to add some mass. Should be viewed as a potential impact player at the Power Five level given range and ability to generate takeaways while masking mistakes. Owns a promising profile at this stage given production on both sides of the ball and multi-sport background (district champion as a 10th grader in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump). Viewed by most schools as a back-seven defender on Saturdays, but could always get a look at wide receiver." 

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl