BATON ROUGE — Most days over the summer when LSU football defensive coordinator Blake Baker walked into the team's indoor facility, he would find Ashton Stamps catching balls off the jug machine or training with bands to go along with footwork drills.

The sophomore cornerback started the final four games for the Tigers last season and appeared in 11 total games. He was thrust into action as a freshman as injuries piled up for LSU late in the 2023 campaign.

Despite not quite being ready for the moment, Stamps performed admirably, knew more was inside him.

With a new DC in Baker coming on, and new cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond — who's coached some of the best defensive backs LSU has had before leaving for Florida when LSU head coach Brian Kelly got hired — the New Orleans native wanted an early start on getting ready for his second season in Baton Rouge.

"Ashton has worked his tail off to get to where he's at," Baker said of Stamps during preseason practice. "Credit to what he's been able to do. He's still a young player. I challenge him every day.

"I'm looking for more consistency out of Ashton. He has stepped his game up, but he's not where we need him to be overall. That's not a knock, but we got (time) to get him to where he's capable of being from a mental consistency standpoint."

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Complacency hasn't been a struggle for Stamps. He's been repping as one of the starting cornerbacks throughout the entirety of fall camp and knows he's not where he needs to be. Near daily texts and talks with his father, Albert Stamps, who's a pastor at the Covenant Family Church in the greater New Orleans area, keep his level-headed and his eyes clear on what needs to be done.

"My dad, he's behind the scenes, he's texting me every day," Stamps said. "He might not get to me every day because he's working.

"To have that support system keeps me pushing and it reminds me where I've come from. You just got to keep going."

Stamps had already pushed through an offseason groin surgery, an injury he says could've been a product of his drastic weight gain after he reported to LSU last year. Like everyone on the defensive side of the ball, the corner had to navigate a spring with a new defensive coordinator, learn new checks, calls and a playbook while making sure he did the work that allowed him to impress and thrive.

Coupling all the offseason rehab and work together, plus accepting the challenge from Raymond each day, Stamps has been one of the brighter spots for LSU's defense, which is looking to rebound from an historically bad 2023 campaign, through preseason practice. In Baker's scheme that calls for more man coverage and less pre-snap checks from cornerbacks, an overall "attacking" and aggressive defense, Stamps has shined.

"I feel like that's the best part of my game. I like being hands-on with somebody, going at it with them. That's just what I do," Stamps said. "I feel comfortable. Being free allows you to do freakish things. You got time to process what the offense is about to do, what the receivers are about to do, the splits, what foot they have up front. Stuff like that.

"Being able to be free, being able to line up early. It allows you to see everything. Not too much on your mind."

What has been reported to Kelly about how Stamps has performed during practice echoes how Stamps feels.

"The report I got was (Stamps') man coverage relative to balls defended during camp," Kelly said of Stamps. "Defended ball, pass breakups, his numbers have been the best in camp. I think he feels comfortable being out there. He's moving well, he's stronger and I think his confidence is high that he can play in the SEC against the very best."

When LSU tees the ball against USC on Sept. 1 in the 2024 season opener in Las Vegas, it's probable Stamps will be one of the Tigers' starting cornerbacks. Until then, he wants to continue to earn his coaches' trust to ensure that role and where it starts is his mindset.

"Consistency. I got to keep working. I can't just show it one practice, I have to keep showing it each practice so the coaches will be able to trust me," Stamps said. "It's just a mindset. You got to go into the game, like, I don't care who you are, I'm going to work. You're going to get tired. It's just whoever has that mindset like I'm going to kill it, that's the one who's going to come out on top."

"I grow every year, so of course I'm way better this year. But I just keep working on being the best I could be."

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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz atbdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: How LSU football CB Ashton Stamps positioned himself to possibly start