The LSU secondary has been a stable one this season. Star corner Mansoor Delane has held down one side of the field, safeties Tamarcus Cooley and AJ Haulcy have patrolled the back end, and DJ Pickett has worked his way into form alongside PJ Woodland.
The arrival of Delane and the ascensions of Woodland and Pickett, though, have squeezed a former established starter from the rotation.
Head coach Brian Kelly confirmed on Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference call that former starting cornerback Ashton Stamps has left the team.
Stamps started 17 games for the Tigers across his first 2 seasons with the program, including 13 last season.
Last year, Stamps finished with 51 tackles — fifth among all LSU defenders — to go with 14 pass breakups. He played nearly 800 snaps for LSU.
This year, Stamps had mostly been a special teams performer. He played 18 snaps on defense in the Week 2 game against Louisiana Tech, but had not appeared in a game since Week 3.
With just 3 appearances, Stamps should be able to preserve his redshirt and hit the transfer portal with 2 more years of eligibility.
Stamps was a 3-star recruit from Metairie (La.) Archbishop Rummel in the 2023 class. He also held offers from Mizzou, Nebraska, and Tulane as a high school prospect. With starting experience in the SEC, Stamps will likely be a little more sought after during his second recruitment.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
