The firing of LSU head coach Brian Kelly on Sunday could impact the 2026 Miami roster. ESPN speculated Miami could clip five-star 2026 LSU defensive commit Lamar Brown and the potential for star freshman cornerback D.J. Pickett to enter the transfer portal.
According to ESPN, Pickett has permitted seven receptions for 70 yards on 16 targets in 2025 with no touchdowns allowed and one interception in seven games. Pickett is the cousin of Miami defensive lineman Booker Pickett Jr. and his brother, 2026 Miami offensive tackle commit Canon Pickett.
Canon Pickett lobbied for Brown on Sunday by posting a GIF from the video of the Will Smith song with the caption "Welcome To Miami." Brown and D.J. Pickett both strongly considered Miami before the former committed to LSU and the latter signed with the Tigers.
Pickett has 18 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, one interception, one interception and one pass defended. LSU ultimately won the recruitment for Pickett over Oregon, whom he was projected to commit to late in the cycle and Miami.
Miami commit already at work. https://t.co/8TbeFqomHo https://t.co/nKwFtjWQYM
— Gaby Urrutia (@GabyUrrutia247) October 27, 2025
D.J. Pickett is from Zephyrhills, outside of Tampa. Canon and Booker Pickett Jr. are from Tampa. Consensus recruiting rankings had D.J. Pickett as the 11th overall prospect, second CB and top player in Florida in the 2025 class.
Brown is the consensus top prospect in the 2026 class. Per ESPN, Brown is the first top overall prospect to commit to LSU since running back Leonard Fournette in the 2014 class. Brown is from Erwinville, Louisiana and attends the University Lab School on the LSYU campus.
ESPN stated, "multiple schools -- Texas A&M and Miami, most prominently -- came close to pulling Brown out of Louisiana in the summer." With Miami and Texas A&M contending for a College Football Playoff berth, ESPN stated it would not be a surprise if Brown flipped to them or multiple other premier programs.
Brown took official visits to LSU, Miami, Texas and Texas A&M per Rivals. With Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor leaving after the 2025 season, Miami will have opportunities for snaps on the defensive line. Flipping Brown and the potential of adding Pickett as a transfer would be foundational players for Miami in 2026.