Fans must be wondering how Brian Kelly got blessed with the flip of luck? Well, the LSU head coach’s seat is supposed to be hot. After all, this year marks his litmus test, and he is yet to gift his squad a Natty. On the other hand, his predecessors, from Nick Saban to Ed Orgeron, all have National Championship feathers in their hats while they held the head coaching role at LSU.
But turns out that Kelly’s seat has cooled down. As ESPN analyst Peter Burns stated, “There is no way in hell that Brian Kelly is on the hot seat in 2025.” To him it’s “absolutely asinine.” The 2024 season has been a complete mess, as Kelly’s boys from DJ Chester to Major Burns struggled on the gridiron. Cut to 2025, their 5-star freshman is catching all the buzz. That’s none other than DJ Pickett.
On August 14, Logan Graffia shared a clip of Pickett’s play and tweeted, “Fun fact: DJ Pickett at 6’5 is the tallest CB on record in CFB history.” This time last year, Kelly was going through a rough patch. Courtesy? They lost 5-star offensive lineman Lance Heard to Tennessee. That’s when the universe blessed Kelly with Pickett to get over Heard’s snub. But even after locking Pickett, Kelly could not sleep in peace. As Izubee Charles stirred some fear of his decommitment, “DJ Pickett has been Miami’s guy for the entirety of this cycle, and despite him committing to LSU, they still continue to push and kind of put that full court press on him.”
Fun fact:
DJ Pickett at 6’5 is the tallest CB on record in CFB history https://t.co/4ErwuNaNqD
— Logan Graffia (@thesoulman57) August 14, 2025
But Kelly has moved past all these insecurities. Right now, he might be thanking the universe for giving him Pickett. The skyscraper of a defensive back is listed at 6-foot-5, 195 pounds. While no one can give him competition when it comes to his height, Pickett found himself a decent spot on ESPN’s Billy Tucker’s projections for college football’s top 10 freshmen. In Tucker’s rankings, the cornerback stands at No.7. Besides Pickett, there are two more SEC stars on the list- Tennessee’s David Sanders Jr. (No. 6) and Texas’ Graceson Littleton (No. 10).
Kelly’s star is the second-highest defender behind Ohio State cornerback Devin Sanchez (No. 4). And Tucker could not stop himself from singing highly in Pickett’s praise. “It will be difficult to keep a 6-foot-5, 195-pound perimeter defender with 10.6 100-meter speed off the field in Baton Rouge. Though Pickett is competing against experienced defensive backs for meaningful snaps, none possesses his rare frame, range, and ball skills,” noted the analyst. “The Tigers have thrown him in the mix early. He provides scheme versatility in the back end and should find a significant role in Brian Kelly’s overhauled secondary. The former five-star should reestablish the Tigers’ reputation for producing elite defensive backs.”
Few schools match LSU’s history when it comes to defensive backs. LSU was dubbed “DBU” in the early 2010s. Kelly’s squad has been the home to defensive greats like Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne, among others. Now, if the analysts are already wooed by Pickett, can you fathom his craze in the Tigers camp?
DJ Pickett’s daily grind wins Brian Kelly’s coach’s heart
This season, LSU has opened its gates to 30 newcomers. They have wrapped up their fall camp, during which multiple true freshmen caught the spotlight. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker faced the media, giving a rundown of the freshmen’s stints, and could not stop talking about Pickett. “DJ has grown so much from when we had him in bowl practices to spring practice to now. Ten days in, there have been some days where we got to continue to work on his consistency, but the biggest improvement from spring to fall has been his physicality. He has done a really good job tackling this fall,” shared Kelly’s coach.
Pickett’s 2025 mission has been to turn himself into a bigger force. As Blaker noted, “He has done a really good job tackling this fall. He’s put on, I don’t know, 20 pounds or something since he’s been here, so the weight room’s gonna build confidence from that standpoint. But I’ve been really impressed, more impressed with his physicality so far than the coverage skills.” It was last December that Pickett officially signed with LSU. Ever since then, he has hit the weight room to add those extra pounds. And his efforts did not go unnoticed.
As Blaker is truly impressed by DJ Pickett’s commitment to routine, “Every day I go in the indoor, he’s got the VR on. He works at it. He’s very, very humble. He loves football. He’s very hardworking.” And guess what? Pickett’s efforts did leave a positive influence on the LSU locker room. Another LSU athlete is now going through the 20-pound transformation process. That’s none other than tight end Trey’Dez Green.
On August 12, LSU insider Wilson Alexander tweeted, “LSU TE Trey’Dez Green says he had to gain 20 pounds since the start of camp. He’s been eating five meals a day. Lot of fried chicken, red beans and rice.” Like DJ Pickett, 6-foot-7 and 245-pounder Green’s mission is to become more “complete.” If the rookies keep paddling like this, Brian Kelly’s hot seat might finally drift into cooler currents.
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