LSU Football Staffer Raves About True Freshmen DJ Pickett, Harlem Berry, Carius Curne

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 10:20 AM ET

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue navigating Fall Camp in Baton Rouge with the program inching closer towards Week 1 at Clemson.

After roster reconstruction this offseason, Kelly and Co. have over 30 newcomers on the 2025 roster between the 2025 Recruiting Class and Transfer Portal Haul.

With Fall Camp in full swing, the Tigers have seen multiple true freshmen make an impact across practices.

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker took the podium on Monday morning to dissect the Tigers and what he's seen from five-star freshman DJ Pickett to this point.

The Talk of the Town: CB DJ Pickett

"DJ has grown so much from when we had him in bowl practices to spring practice to now. Ten days in, there have been some days where we got to continue to work on his consistency, but the biggest improvement from spring to fall has been his physicality. He has done a really good job tackling this fall," Baker said.

"He's put on, I don't know, 20 pounds or something since he's been here, so the weight room's gonna build confidence from that standpoint. But I've been really impressed, more impressed with his physicality so far than the coverage skills. He's always had that, and he's gotten better, don't get me wrong, but his physicality, he's turned it up a notch this fall camp."

The Flashing Newcomers: Berry, Curne, Francis, Wright, Miller

LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan broke down multiple true freshmen that are catching his attention in Fall Camp.

- RB Harlem Berry
- OL Carius Curne
- WR TaRon Francis
- WR Phillip Wright
- OL Tyler Miller

Everything Sloan Said on the True Freshmen:

"There's a bunch of guys that are playing extremely well. Obviously, Harlem Berry is getting the opportunity to get a lot of reps, and I think he's taking advantage of them, doing really well.

"Carius Curne is playing offensive line as a true freshman against some of the cats we're blocking every day is not just something.

"Will Campbell and Emery Jones played as true freshmen, it's like, oh yeah, that's normal. No, that's not normal. Him going out there and playing the way he's playing consistently; I think has been awesome.

"But I mean even for some of the guys that just showed up, Taron Francis is doing fantastic. Phil (Wright) has been fun to see and how he's progressed from high school to college. He wasn't a guy who was here in the spring.

"I could go on and on. We've been pleased with all the (young guys). It's been fun to get Tyler Miller out there. He's extremely talented, going to be a good player. When you look at the whole group, I'm excited about the opportunity with the group of the freshmen and the second-year players.

"We've got some good young players on offense that we can develop and get in the program and have opportunities to make a huge impact in the future."

Now, with the 2025 season inching closer, all eyes are on the LSU Tigers as they look to turn heads as a College Football Playoff contender.