Delane, the senior corner from Silver Spring, Maryland, signed with LSU in December as a transfer from Virginia Tech, where he spent the first three years of his collegiate career. He was highly-touted as the No. 1 corner in the portal, looking for a bigger stage and a larger platform to showcase his talents.
BUT WHAT THE WORLD IS SEEING on Saturdays, as Delane shuts down opposing receivers and shoots up NFL Draft boards, is nothing new to those who know him best.
For
Kyle Schmitt, head coach at Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland, Delane was “one of the best players we’ve ever had” in a program that spits out Division I prospects and prides itself on defense. Spalding gave up just 34 points total last year.
A private Catholic school in Severn, Md., Spalding is where Delane spent his sophomore through senior years of high school. His freshman year was spent at the Landon School, an even smaller college preparatory school in Bethesda, where his older brother, Zayd, attended two years before him.
Landon was known for lacrosse, not football. Their games were played on Thursday afternoons, not on Friday nights. Offseason workouts were limited. Film sessions were lonely. That’s when Delane, a budding star committed to his craft, knew deep down a change had to be made, sooner rather than later.
“My older brother, he went to Landon and I saw how they went through the recruiting process,” Delane said. “I wanted better for myself. I had some family friends that went to Spalding and recruiting was going really well for them. I saw a great opportunity over there and great coaching. So I took that leap of faith to transfer.”
Spalding had everything Delane was looking for. A winning football culture, a staff committed to constant improvement, and competition, with future D1 players like Zakee Wheatley (Penn State) and Lavain Scruggs (Maryland) pushing him every day in practice. For Delane, it didn’t take very long to realize: this wasn’t a lacrosse school anymore.
“He was looking for a higher level of football,” Schmitt said. “I think when he came it was a bit of a football culture shock (at Spalding). He had been at a smaller school at Landon. It was a different environment.”
It was a whole new ballgame. His sophomore year at Spalding, Delane was benched. The talented cornerback – who Schmitt now categorizes as a “model” for his current and future players – was too often caught up in the opponent, his own play, and the wrong details. He learned the hard way.
“It’s almost like he had to learn that lesson,” Schmitt said. “We find, often times, that the bench is the best place to learn lessons. It’s such a credit to him and his family. He wasn’t a kid that, at the first sign of adversity, was jumping or transferring schools. He didn’t blink. The fire burned brighter and he wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again in his career.”
“It humbled me,” Delane said. “You never know it all. I learned that. Just coming in and being a sponge to all my coaches, it felt like that was a great learning lesson right there.”
MANSOOR WAS A QUICK LEARNER. Most players his age would pout after being benched, but he got motivated. Most would quit, but he went back to work. That, Schmitt says, was the sign of a mature young man who came from a great family.
From that point forward, Delane was relentless in his preparation, fearless in his play, and unwavering in his pursuit of excellence. He became a leader by example. He became someone who could
Master the Mundane, an internal motto for those inside the Spalding program. He became someone who had a short memory on the field, and could be coached hard off it.
LSU, time and time again, provides its student-athletes with
The Platform to Transform. Delane is now reaping the benefits, catching the attention of NFL scouts and national award voters across the country. In his debut at Clemson in primetime, Delane was targeted eight times, allowing just one reception with two PBUs, one interception for a passer rating of zero. Against Florida, he was targeted six times, allowing just 11 yards receiving with five tackles and a PBU. From that point forward, the word got out across college football: don’t throw 4’s way.
Message received. Over the last four games, he’s been targeted just five times. So don’t bother trying to reach Delane. Don’t try to call and don’t try to text. He’s on island time.
“I’m not falling asleep,” Delane said of the lack of targets. “When the time comes, like it did vs. South Carolina, I’m going to be ready.”
Of players with 200+ coverage snaps, Delane has the lowest completion % against (26.1), the fewest total yards allowed (77), the highest forced incompletion % (39.1%) and the lowest passer rating against in the country (22.9).
When looking at LSU defensive backs since 2016 with 200+ snaps through seven games, Delane still has the lowest completion percentage, fewest total receptions allowed (6), lowest passer rating (22.9) and the highest forced incompletion percentage. Consider the DBs who have walked these grounds since 2016. Mansoor Delane is one of them ones.
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