Pickett is from Zephyrhills, Florida.^[1] He has several relatives who have played football, and his father, cousin and uncle each played for Zephyrhills High School.^[2] His uncle, Ryan Pickett, played in the NFL for 14 years and won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers.^[3] Pickett attended Zephyrhills where he was a two-way football player at wide receiver and defensive back.^[4] In addition to football, he also participated in track and field, baseball and basketball.^[5] He began playing varsity football as a sophomore and recorded 43 receptions for 886 yards and 12 touchdowns that year.^[6] He then caught 52 passes for 1,033 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023 while also totaling 31 tackles and an interception on defense.^[7]

As a senior in 2024, Pickett recorded 658 receiving yards and made five interceptions, helping his team finish 8–4 while reaching the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.^[8] He broke the Pasco County career receiving record, finishing his three-year stint at Zephyrhills having totaled 130 receptions for 2,577 yards and 35 touchdowns,^[6] while on defense he made 94 tackles and 10 interceptions.^[1] He was named a Sports Illustrated high school All-American following his senior season, being the first Zephyrhills player to receive the honor since his uncle in 1997.^[8]

Pickett was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2025 college football recruiting class.^[9] He was ranked the top cornerback in the nation by On3.com and Rivals.com and a top-10 prospect nationally by On3.^[1] He committed to play college football for the LSU Tigers.^[10]

DJ Pickett
LSU Tigers – No. 3
Pickett in 2025
Position	Cornerback
Class	Freshman
Personal information
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career history
College	LSU (2025–present)
High school	Zephyrhills (Zephyrhills, Florida)

Early life

College career

References