Patrick Peterson, Tre’Davious White, Greedy Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, Morris Claiborne, Donte Jackson.
Those are just a few names on the long list of great cornerbacks to play for the LSU Tigers, and from some of the comments made by current Tigers, freshman Derek Stingley Jr. could very well be the next name added to that list.
“He’s better than I was when I got here,” junior safety Grant Delpit said. “He’s out there locking up receivers already. He’s got the talent of Greedy (Williams), and he’s as strong as an ox.”
“He’s a once in a lifetime kind of player,” junior cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. said.
And this high praise comes after only a few spring practices. Stingley Jr. was able to enroll early and practice with the team during their Fiesta Bowl preparations, and LSU coach Ed Orgeron noticed right away that Stingley Jr. was special.
“Derek Stingley would have started for us in the bowl and probably would have been one of the best players on the field,” Orgeron said. “I would expect him to push for a starting position. That may be solidified by the end of the spring.”
While the competition Stingley Jr. faced in high school can be viewed as below average, he competed in some of the biggest high school football camps like The Opening and held his own with other top prospects.
In fact, his measurables were on par with the aforementioned Peterson.
In a position recap at The Opening done by 247Sports, for the defensive backs category, Stingley Jr. was labeled the “Alpha Dog,” and their description of him raved of his potential.
“He has a rare combination of physical tools and football IQ. He has explosive speed and can turn and run with anyone, but shows patience, doesn’t get to grabby on a route and shows next level poise. You can tell he’s a very confident player and the game just looks easy for him.”
And with all of the hype surrounding Stingley Jr., he will need to prove right away that he can be a contributor considering the departure of Williams.
While senior cornerback Kristian Fulton should be
recovered from a foot injury he suffered at the end of the 2018 season, it’s still anybody’s game for the starting position opposite Fulton. But seeing Stingley Jr. work with the first team at practices and from the comments of his teammates, it seems like he may have already locked up a starting position.
When looking back on some of the cornerbacks mentioned like Peterson, Claiborne and Williams, that’s pretty astounding.
Peterson was a top recruit coming out of high school, but it still took him a year to get used to the speed and level of play in the Southeastern Conference. Claiborne only played in seven games his freshman year and accounted for seven tackles. Williams did not play his freshman year and took a redshirt.
But players like Mathieu and White came in and started right away. Mills was on the Freshman All-American Team, and started all 13 games. White was named to the All-SEC Freshman team and started 11 of the 13 games.
It seems like Stingley Jr. will fit into the latter group, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him making plays in the regular season like in the first scrimmage of the spring.