Patrick De’mon Peterson (born July 11, 1990) is an American football player. He currently plays cornerback for the LSU Tigers. Peterson is considered to be one of the best cornerbacks of his class.^[1]

[edit] High school career

Peterson attended Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida, where he played running back and defensive back. In his junior campaign he recorded 11 total touchdowns on offense, while recording seven interceptions and 54 tackles on defense. He also returned three kick-offs for touchdowns and added 10 rushes for 213 yards. As a senior, Peterson compiled 733 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns (9 rushing, one kick return and one punt return). Defensively, he had 21 tackles and five interceptions.

Besides numerous All-American team selections, Peterson was named “Defensive Player of the Year” by USA Today. He also participated in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Peterson

A consensus five-star prospect by all major recruiting services, Peterson was rated as the nation’s fifth best overall player by Rivals.com and No. 8 by ESPN. Prior to his senior season he verbally committed to play for the University of Miami, but continued to look at other schools.^[2] By November 2007, Peterson had reopened his recruiting process and acknowledged interest in Georgia, USC, Florida, and LSU.^[3] He later dropped Georgia and USC from his list and added Florida State,^[4] but eventually announced his decision to attend LSU at the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.^[5]

[edit] College career

One of the most decorated high school players to ever sign with LSU, Peterson played 13 games as a true freshman. He started the final four games of season, including the Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Georgia Tech. Peterson finished the season with 41 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups, while also adding a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

In his sophomore season Peterson emerged as one of the top defensive backs in the Southeastern Conference. By midseason he tied for fourth in the league with seven passes defended, and was named the SEC's "Most Improved Player" by ESPN's Chris Low.^[6]

[edit] Personal

Peterson went by the last name "Johnson" when he signed with LSU, but formally changed it to "Peterson" in August of 2008.

He is a relative of NFL players Bryant McFadden, Sinorice Moss and Santana Moss (his maternal cousins).

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official bio at LSUsports.net