It felt like it was just yesterday that there was a pregame skirmish between the LSU Tigers and Texas Longhorns over the title of ‘DBU.’ In reality, it was just under six years ago and the Tigers have seemingly lost all claim to that title.

LSU's struggles over the past few years have been caused by a number of things, but it has been the weakness of the defense that has stood out the most. In particular, defensive back play has been wildly inconsistent and often exploited in big games.

There was a concerted effort this offseason to bring in both experienced talent from the transfer portal that could help in the short term, while also finding high school talent that can produce early and often. It looks as though they have accomplished both tasks this season.

Mansoor Delane was the gem of the Tigers’ star-powered transfer portal class. He spent the last three years starring for the Virginia Tech Hokies and appeared ready to take on a bigger challenge, leading an SEC defense.

Delane could not have performed any better against the Clemson Tigers. Per Pro Football Focus, he was targeted a whopping eight times in coverage and allowed just one reception. He also broke up two passes and came down with a clutch interception. 

For the first time since that 2019 season, someone could look at an LSU defensive back and say with certainty that he would be playing on Sundays at some point. That’s not to say no Tigers cornerback has made it to the NFL in the past few years, but Delane just instantly looked the part.

It also wasn’t just the transfer that stood out. Five-star freshman DJ Pickett played 25 snaps on Saturday, but one could have completely missed that because he completely shut down his side of the field when he was in there.

Pickett was targeted just once in coverage, and it ended in an incompletion. Going back and watching the game, he looked about as polished and talented as a freshman possibly could when tasked with facing talented competition.

The 6-foot-5 anomaly’s length stands out on film. It’s hard for receivers to get a move on him because he can cover so much ground in just his base stance. When they do get around him, he has the speed to catch up. He will be an exceedingly fun player to watch for the Tigers this year.

Virtually every cornerback that took the field made a positive impact in some way. Even Jardin Gilbert, who was tasked with stepping in as a starter after it was found that AJ Haulcy would have to sit for a half, played better than at any point a year ago.

Credit and praise should be heaped on cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, who is in his second year back in Baton Rouge after spending a couple of years with the Florida Gators. He is a large reason that LSU grew into such a defensive powerhouse in the first place, both as a recruiter and a coach. Now, he looks to be integral in returning the ‘DBU’ moniker to the purple and gold.