On October 26, DJ Pickett was expected to be present to witness the Miami Hurricanes go against Florida State. The Hurricanes have been eyeing players who might flip schools and seeing them win yet another game would be quite compelling, right? Well, in their usual fashion, they defeated Florida State, 36-14 but Pickett was missing. Why was he a no-show?

The 5-star plus CB committed to LSU in July amid 40+ offers, including Miami. It seems the team is still interested in getting him on their side. Well, Kaiden Smith and Izubee Charles from ‘On3 Recruits’ discussed the matter. “What were the reasons DJ picket wasn’t at Coral Gables?” Smith questioned.

Charles revealed, “He was late subtraction from that big visitor list. We had the chance to text back and forth. He simply said, DJ, you know, wanted to be a high school kid this weekend. It was his senior homecoming. He didn’t want to miss that out, but they’re trying to make it back next week for the Duke game.”

Miami Hurricanes versus Duke Blue Devils will happen on November 2. The former leads the all-time series, 15-5, having won six of their last nine games.

“Nothing is set in stone yet, but I think Miami is going to try hard to get him back on campus for the Duke game. And if they do just that, you know, I think it will be huge for their momentum and recruitment. Obviously, committed to LSU, but that connection with the Hurricanes is there and he is still giving them a good chance. So if they can get him back on campus in the coming weeks, I think that will be huge for where they stand in things,” he said On3 Recruits.

The Zephyrhills HS standout prospect is the No. 2 CB and No. 8 overall player in the nation. While he’s still a solid commit to LSU, the number of times he has visited the Hurricanes’ game this season is proof that Miami has something he desires. After all, he has blood relations there. 

The first game that DJ Pickett attended this season was the Florida vs. Miami game on August 31. He wanted to see his cousin Booker Pickett Jr. playing his first college football game as Miami’s DE. He was also present with his parents in Miami’s following game against Florida A&M, where his cousin recorded his first tackle. The Hurricanes established their dominance in both games, going 41-17 and 59-9, respectively. So, it’s not surprising this undefeated ACC team is on his radar. 

Can the Miami Hurricanes flip DJ Pickett’s LSU commitment?

This is the big question. Miami went 36-14 as they dominated Florida State in their last game at Hard Rock Stadium. Their star QB, Cam Ward, completed 22 of 35 passes for 208 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time in his career in Miami, but they still managed to land FSU HC Mike Norvell in a sore spot.

This can give DJ Pickett a reason why he wouldn’t regret flipping his commitment to the Hurricanes. 

“We never really lost control of the game, but it took us a while to start pulling away,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said about their game against Florida State. “I think they did a good job with some of their coverages. They did put a little bit of pressure on the quarterback, but we pounded the ball really well. We ran the ball well and got downhill. We got hats on hats and ran through tackles. We were aggressive with some fourth downs. The defense was the story of the game.”

Cristobal is a persistent recruiter, and this elite prospect has already dropped signs of interest. Remember the time when he nearly flipped Jeremiah Smith’s commitment from Ohio State? They’ll try hard to recruit him for the upcoming game against the Blue Devils on November 2.

As of now, Miami still stands as a strong contender to land Pickett’s commitment; the odds will increase if he makes it to their next game. Do you think Pickett should choose the Miami Hurricanes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.