Miami 1 of 2 favored teams for 5-star CB D.J. Pickett pre-July 17 commitment

On3 Vice President, National College Football Recruiting and Transfer Portal Steve Wiltfong said Miami and Oregon are out front for five-star cornerback D.J. Pickett ahead of his July 17 announcement. Wiltfong made the comments during an On3 podcast with Josh Newburg on Thursday.

Wiltfong made Oregon the favorite but stated with two weeks to go during a dead period in recruiting there is a lot of time for head coach Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes to make a move. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine makes LSU the lead with a 27.9 percent chance for a commitment from Pickett.

Miami is listed as the second favorite in the RPM at 14.3, followed by Georgia at 10.6 percent and Oregon at 8.8 percent. There are no 247Sports crystal balls logged projecting which program Pickett is leaning toward. Pickett is the sixth-ranked prospect, second CB and top player in Florida by On3 in the 2025 class.

Beginning with the weekend of May 31, Pickett took official visits to LSU, Georgia, Miami and Oregon. Florida hosted Pickett five times but did not receive an official visit. Pickett has also visited LSU and Miami five times in total including the official visits. Pickett visits Georgia, Michigan and Oregon four times each.

Pickett is a versatile player who is listed as a safety by 247Sports. At 6'4 and 179 pounds, Pickett has exceptional length for a CB. Pickett could be a foundational player in the 2025 Miami class. Miami is currently 11th in the On3 Rankings. Pickett would be the fourth defensive back committed to Miami in the 2025 class.

Miami currently has commitments from CBs Chris Ewald and Timothy Merritt and safety Amari Wallace. Pickett would be the first five-star commit in the 2025 Miami class and by far the highest-ranked. Miami could potentially move into the top five 2025 classes with a commitment from Pickett.