This time last year, Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers were going through a rough patch. They lost their five-star OL Lance Heard to Tennessee. The reason? Reportedly, the returning starters made Heard question his choice and move out of Baton Rouge. Till then, Kelly was yet to witness the Bryce Underwood heartbreak. So, he went full throttle to add another 5-star and get over Heard’s snub.

They soon gained the commitment from one of the top cornerbacks of the 2025 cycle – DJ Pickett. But was the race easy for Coach Kelly to win Pickett’s trust? No way. The 5-star picked LSU over Oregon and Miami at the eleventh hour. And Kelly and his staff now get to know how the chase and all the hard work have been worth it. 

Turns out that Kelly’s No.1 CB, even after committing to the Tigers’ squad, continues to work on himself. On August 11, LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker faced the media after the fall camp. His first time at the Bayou Bengals camp, Pickett left no stone unturned to turn himself into a bigger force on the gridiron and a threat to the rivals. And the coach could not stop talking about his physical transformation. He said, “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.”

Blaker continued, “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.”  Last year in July, Kelly and Co. went in full celebration mood after receiving the commitment from the 5-star Pickett. The skyscraper of a defensive back is listed at 6-foot-5, 195 pounds after putting on significant size during his first offseason with the LSU program. And, remember what 247Sports Director of Scouting, Andrew Ivins, said about Pickett?

“[Pickett] has what it takes to emerge as a true game-breaker on offense with his size and foot speed,” shared the analyst. He officially signed with Kelly’s squad in December during the bowl preparation. Since then, Pickett did not waste any time and hit the weight room to add 20 pounds to his frame. As per the reports, he is the tallest cornerback in college football. Ever since Pickett arrived in Kelly’s camp, he has put himself through a vigorous routine. 

As Baker shared a glimpse of it, “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.” Meanwhile, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and his mates gave Kelly enough reasons to celebrate. But the head coach knows when to hold the reins tightly. 

Touchdown cheers turned into a time management lesson from Brian Kelly 

There must already be too many things on Nussmeier’s plate. Last week, he had to leave the practice because of a knee issue. Later on, Kelly confirmed his quarterback to be “fine.” However, things looked bad when it came to the quarterback’s performance during the fall camp. So much so that Brian Kelly could not wait for the camp to wrap up to have the coach’s talk with Nussmeier. 

WAFB-TV Sports director Jacques Doucet tweeted, “During 7 on 7 red zone work during @LSUfootball practice. Garrett Nussmeier threw a high fade towards the corner that was intercepted by Mansoor Delane. Nussmeier wasn’t happy at all about what happened, had [a] long discussion with Brian Kelly and Joe Sloan after [the] play.” But there have been some good moments, too. During the 11 v 11 scrimmage work, he threw a deep pass down the right sideline. His mate, receiver Barion Brown, made an over-the-shoulder catch — a difficult, well-timed grab where the ball drops in over the defender’s head, followed by cornerback Ashton Stamp’s well-executed coverage. This obviously called for some celebration, right?

This did not fit well with Brian Kelly, who is very particular about game awareness and time management. Jacques Doucet tweeted, “Following the touchdown, the offense was very excited and celebratory. @LSUfootball Brian Kelly shouted and made it clear the play clock is ticking and running on the ensuing extra point during all the celebration. #LSU.” After all, he understands the dangers of celebrating too soon. Last season, despite winning nine games, the Tigers endured a three-game skid that crushed their College Football Playoff hopes. So, Kelly now wants to wait for the moment to pop the champagne.