Every year, one or two freshmen begin to standout during spring practice, even in rare cases jumping to the front of the depth chart for their respective team. While we hadn’t seen too much movement in that department for the Tigers up to this point, it now seems as though we could be getting our first candidate of the spring. During today’s practice, LSU freshman cornerback PJ Woodland took some significant snaps with the first-team defense, impressing the coaching staff along the way.
LSU freshman cornerback quickly working his way in with the first-team defense
One of the biggest questions heading into the 2024 spring practices for the Tigers largely surrounded the cornerback room. Due in large part to some big-time injuries and off-field issues, it seemed as though the entire position room received starting snaps at some point, so it wasn’t entirely clear about who would end up getting the jobs heading into the next season.
Interestingly enough, even with all of that starting experience from 2023, it now seems as though might still get some new faces along the first-team defense. Earlier today, one LSU freshman cornerback impressed particularly well, as PJ Woodland received some significant work with the starters, even putting in some good reps against new No. 1 wide receiver, Kyren Lacy.
Coming out of high school, Woodland was rated as just a three-star recruit from Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, MS. Even so, recruiting ratings aren’t always exactly perfect, and it seems like the talented defensive back may already be out playing his expectations.
According to 247Sports, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound standout ranked among the top-50 at his position in the country. Sitting at No. 45 among cornerbacks, he also ranked as the No. 16 player in Mississippi and was named the Mississippi 7A Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
While there’s no guarantee that he ends up receiving starting snaps as a freshman in the fall, it’s hard not to feel good about the momentum he currently has heading into the upcoming National L-Club Spring Game on April 13.
Expect Woodland to compete amongst several other young cornerbacks for snaps, including sophomores Ashton Stamps, Javien Toviano and Jeremiah Hughes.
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