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2025 DJ Pickett 5* CB from Zephyrhills Commits to LSU

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SayWhat said:
I'm loyal to Miami, but until we are about it and just not talking about it, I'd advise a kid of mine to look elsewhere. There's other factors than loyalty and loyalty starts with one's self. You can love something, but know it's not good for you right now.

I'm not saying someone is wrong for picking us, but if they go elsewhere loyalty has to start with us as a program. You have to show we're deserving of that signature when it comes time to sign.

We have a well respected former player who has a basketball star in his family. We aren't the right fit and he's advised as much. His loyalty to this school is beyond question.
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That is as much about position on the court as anything. My nephew Jalen Blackmon transferred into UM and should be a starting 2 guard next season. I recommended UM to him over a year ago because Coach L plays a guard friendly style of basketball that will showcase his talents.

The player you are writing about is a big man, and Coach L’s style is not nearly as friendly to big men who are primarily rebounders and defenders. If the former player’s nephew was a guard I am confident he would have made the same recommendation as me, based on our subsequent conversations about the subject.

In short, styles matter in sports. And I hope loyalty is to blood family first. Even with my nephew, I stayed out of the final decision making as I did not want my love for UM to interfere with wanting whatever was best for family. Luckily what he wanted and what I wanted were the same. That is until he has a bad game and I get torched up and down the basketball forum LOL.
 
Hoyacane1620 said:
From ON3, per a conversation with his father, Damien

"But Damien said a school’s position coach wasn’t the be-all-end-all in DJ’s decision, although it did play a factor.

“We feel like you have to have a great relationship with a position coach,” Damien said. “You don’t necessarily talk to your head coach day-in-day-out. You meet with him and everything, but your relationship is mostly with your defensive coordinator and your position coach. That did play a big part in his decision, but at the same time we know those position coaches and defensive coordinators do change.

“When you take that out of the equation, you have to factor in the school itself. Will he be okay if his position coach left for another job and they added another one? Are you okay with being at this school if things change with the coaches? The answer has to be yes.”

“We honestly don’t feel like no matter what the results are for Miami, LSU, Oregon or Georgia (who DJ also official visited), their coaches are not going anywhere,” Damien said. “We hear a lot about a warm seat for Cristobal, but we honestly feel like coach will be there when my son gets to campus. We don’t feel like the culture of any of these schools will change within the next six months. Why not (announce) and let’s get it over with?
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Nice to see the negative recruiting tactics out in the open. Could be wrong but doesn’t sound like it was appreciated either
 
Hoyacane1620 said:
From ON3, per a conversation with his father, Damien

"But Damien said a school’s position coach wasn’t the be-all-end-all in DJ’s decision, although it did play a factor.

“We feel like you have to have a great relationship with a position coach,” Damien said. “You don’t necessarily talk to your head coach day-in-day-out. You meet with him and everything, but your relationship is mostly with your defensive coordinator and your position coach. That did play a big part in his decision, but at the same time we know those position coaches and defensive coordinators do change.

“When you take that out of the equation, you have to factor in the school itself. Will he be okay if his position coach left for another job and they added another one? Are you okay with being at this school if things change with the coaches? The answer has to be yes.”

“We honestly don’t feel like no matter what the results are for Miami, LSU, Oregon or Georgia (who DJ also official visited), their coaches are not going anywhere,” Damien said. “We hear a lot about a warm seat for Cristobal, but we honestly feel like coach will be there when my son gets to campus. We don’t feel like the culture of any of these schools will change within the next six months. Why not (announce) and let’s get it over with?
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Reading between the lines, this is good. But whomever said to them that Mario is on the hot seat must not have looked at his contract buyout, or is just spreading sh*t around.
 
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AtlAtty said:
Reading between the lines, this is good. But whomever said to them that Mario is on the hot seat must not have looked at his contract buyout, or is just spreading sh*t around.
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Dirty recruiters will try and say anything. Those tactics work on families that don't pay attention and don't do their own homework. Wise families with good counsel to these kids don't fall for that stuff.
 
AtlAtty said:
You mean like when UM was winning national championships in the 80’s and early 90’s and Marvin “Shade tree” Jones, the #1 LB in the country from Miami Northwestern went to FSU, or when Samari Rolle chose FSU over UM?

If history is any guide it should tell us all that UM will NEVER get every top player from S Fla. I don’t care if we win as often as we did in the 80’s and early 90’s and early 2000’s. Just as USC and UCLA will never get every top player from S Cal. These are metropolitan areas, not small towns. City kids don’t necessarily grow up as fans of the local college, and some just want/need to get away.

None of this is a statement about DJ Pickett or JJ Smith. It simply means that holding UM to a recruiting standard of having to sign every local star is not only unrealistic, it is setting up UM to fail in your eyes because you come to the issue with a position that is impossible to achieve.
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I admit I’m unreasonable
 
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Cookie917 said:
Yeah sad this needs to be repeated but we have his cousin on the team and the pickett family is loyal to UM. I severely doubt any trolling is going on. Whether it is a bag or whatever the reason if he does not pick us no need to bash him over it.
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Agreed. Let him collect his 1.5 from Phil Knight, and if he still wants to come to UM (now or later), he's got a spot.
 
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flcanesfan said:
Dad said he made his decision 2 weeks ago and the biggest thing DJ wants is a college atmosphere and playing elite competition… Miami plays in the ACC and doesn’t have a college atmosphere so as much as I want to believe he’s coming here that sounded like Oregon or LSU to me
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This would make me feel like LSU actually has a chance.
 
calinative umstudent said:
or it means don't start getting all weird on social media attacking him because of the crystal ball, as this is such a close race, a kid getting **** on on twitter/instagram by Miami fans cold be a thing that puts oregon over the top even if it's the 200th consideration. When the decision is a coin flip who knows what could be the straw...

or it just means don't be weird just cause you shouldn't be weird.
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yea thats weird lol
 
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AtlAtty said:
Reading between the lines, this is good. But whomever said to them that Mario is on the hot seat must not have looked at his contract buyout, or is just spreading sh*t around.
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Yes but dad specifically saying he’s being told Mario is on the hot seat… yikes. Even if he doesn’t fully buy it, that stuff still sticks in the back of the mind.
 
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