Corey Raymond locks in his prized prospect during the Early Signing Period, five-star gem headed to Baton Rouge.

The paperwork is in. Zephyrhills (Fla.) five-star cornerback DJ Pickett has officially signed with Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers during the Early Signing Period, he announced via social media on Wednesday.

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

It’s a monumental signing for Corey Raymond and the LSU defensive staff after holding on down the stretch. 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.