Before Corey Raymond became part of LSU’s “DBU” identity, he was just a New Iberia kid with a football dream and a reputation for giving back.
Raymond’s path started at New Iberia Senior High, continued at LSU and eventually stretched into an eight-year NFL career. But in his hometown, the impact of that journey was felt long before the coaching accolades piled up. He became the kind of example young athletes could point to and say it was possible to come from Acadiana and reach the highest level.
“He was definitely that guy,” said Jarred Thomas, who played for Raymond at New Iberia Senior High. “We knew from the jump that Corey would be somebody that we could lean on, we could depend on.”
After his playing days ended, Raymond kept coming back to New Iberia. He ran football camps, worked with young athletes and later coached at his alma mater before moving on to Westgate High School.
For Randall Antoine, who played for Raymond at Westgate, that hometown connection mattered.
“What better example or influence you have is of a guy that actually comes from the same community, same town that you’re from, and he actually went and played professionally,” Antoine said.
Raymond’s reach went beyond the players on the field. He also helped shape coaches, including Ryan Antoine, who worked alongside him at Westgate.
“You were able to dream with your eyes open with Corey,” Ryan Antoine said. “Corey is always willing to talk, always willing to help out, always willing to give a lot of knowledge.”
Oliver Winston, another coach who worked with Raymond at Westgate, said the return home carried a message that went beyond football.
“I think he really wanted to come back to New Iberia to show kids what kind of passion you have to have, what kind of discipline you have to have to be able to play at any level,” Winston said.
That mindset helped Raymond grow into one of the nation’s top defensive backs coaches. At LSU, he played a major role in developing players such as Tyrann Mathieu and Derek Stingley Jr., helping build the Tigers’ DBU reputation.
Former LSU player Jerald Hawkins, who played for Raymond from 2013-15, said Raymond’s influence reached far past the game itself.
“He just gave me hope,” Hawkins said. “Being from Baldwin, Louisiana, one red light town, man.
He’s like, hey, you don’t got to keep your story here. It’s bigger than here.
If you dream it, you want it, you got to go get it.”
Those who know Raymond say success hasn’t changed him. Thomas said he is still the kind of person you could run into at a grocery store and not immediately realize you were standing next to one of the country’s most accomplished defensive backs coaches.
Winston said that willingness to return home and invest in the next generation is a big part of what makes Raymond’s story stand out.
“He showed after you get out of the league that if you can, give back and help kids grow and help them accomplish their goals,” Winston said.
In New Iberia, Raymond’s legacy is bigger than DBU. It lives in the camps he ran, the coaches he helped develop and the young athletes who saw his example up close.
“I’m just proud of him,” Antoine said. “I mean, you see the work that he put in and being able to coach on the side of him, you see the work that he put in behind closed doors.”
For a kid who once dreamed of making it out of New Iberia, Raymond has spent much of his career showing others they can do the same.
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