Oregon Ducks football five-star safety prospect DJ Pickett announced today at 4pm PST that he will be choosing his college from among Oregon, the LSU Tigers and the Miami Hurricanes (led by former Oregon coach Mario Cristobal).
The Ducks are making a belated push for Pickett to join their burgeoning 2025 freshman recruiting class.
A 6'4, 170 lb. prospect from Zephyrhills High School in Florida. Ranked 6th overall and 2nd safety in the 2025 class, he is the top prospect out of Florida.
Will Pickett choose Miami and Coach Cristobal, his in-state choice? Pickett's cousin, Booker Pickett Jr., is already enrolled at Miami.
Both 247 Sports and On3 expect Pickett to choose the Ducks over the Hurricanes or Tigers.
“[DJ]wants to play in big games, big games that mean something,” Pickett's father told On3. “We're talking about national championship games. He wants every day to mean something. He wants to protect the best players. He wants to protect the No. 2 and No. 3 picks in the NFL Draft. He wants the college atmosphere and he wants to be on the football field.”
Pickett would be a big boost for an Oregon secondary that already has four-star cornerback Dorian Belew and four-star athlete Brandon Finney committed. Pickett joins Oregon's highest-rated wide receiver in history, DaCorine Moore, as two five-star recruits in Oregon's 2025 freshman class.
Pickett has emerged as one of the tallest safeties to enter high school freshmen in recent memory with a massive wingspan of 6'8″. Pickett has also competed in track and field. Pickett's combination of size and speed makes him a unique college prospect and has caught the attention of NFL scouts.
Professional football is in Pickett's blood: His uncle, Ryan Pickett, played at Ohio State from 1998-2000 and was a first-round NFL draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2001. Pickett won Super Bowl XLVI with the Green Bay Packers.
Pickett is being recruited by Oregon co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Chris Hampton. Hampton is one of the top prospect defensive coaches in college football and helped the Ducks sign All-American safety Aaron Flowers and Kansas State safety Kobe Savage.
“He has a tremendous work ethic and his ability to build relationships will help our student-athletes develop both on the football field and as men,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of Hampton.
Notice the duck emoji on Lanning's Twitter/X – how he's letting us know Oregon is getting a freshman.
The exciting recruiting news continues this week with five-star safety Trey McNutt's commitment announcement scheduled for Friday, July 19th.
The Ducks defense was one of the most improved units in the country last season, and as a top-10 defense in 2023, the Ducks will face some of the toughest teams in their inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference. Adding a talent like Pickett will help the Ducks continue to improve their defense.
Lanning's recruiting prowess has been further strengthened by the Ducks' 2025 class rocketing into the top five in the country. After Moore and Brew committed, the Ducks are ranked behind only the Ohio State Buckeyes, Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs in the national class rankings.
