Junior safety Grant Delpit, a consensus All-American and one of the best players in college football, knew true freshman cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. was going to bounce back.
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask attacked Stingley in the first half, and on the opening drive of the second half. Trask threw Stingley’s way four times. All four passes were caught by Florida wide receiver Van Jefferson for 51 yards and a touchdown.
Stingley’s reaction wasn’t to get down on himself. There was no reaction at all.
“He doesn’t say anything,” said junior defensive end Glen Logan. “It’s like there’s nothing that affects him. It’s kind of like he’s a robot. Nothing phases him, so when it comes down to stuff like that I guess he’s really prepared for that.”
With LSU leading by seven late in the fourth quarter, Trask pressed his luck, and Stingley intercepted Trask’s throw in the end zone. Stingley’s interception set up LSU’s final touchdown to close out a 42-28 win over Florida on Saturday.
“And he sure did [bounce back],” Delpit said. “Y’all saw the results.”
The confidence Delpit has in Stingley isn’t unwarranted. The freshman has been one of the top cornerbacks in college football this year.
It’s why LSU coach Ed Orgeron was surprised Florida kept targeting Stingley.
“Big time players make big time plays in big time games. He’s got it,” Orgeron said. “They made some plays, but he made the play at the end when it counted.”
Stingley wasn’t the only true freshman to have a significant impact in the game. Safety Marcel Brooks and running back Tyrion Davis-Price both made crucial plays in the second half to swing the momentum firmly in LSU’s control.
Brooks sacked Trask on Florida’s second drive of the second half to force a punt. On LSU’s ensuing possession, Davis-Price broke a 33-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 35-28 lead.
Orgeron credited Brooks’ sack for getting the Tiger Stadium crowd back on its feet and kickstarting LSU’s pass rush. Brooks hadn’t played much through LSU’s first five games, only accumulating one tackle against Texas, but he had his chance to prove himself in LSU’s cheetah package, which consists of the team’s best pass rushers, on Saturday.
“We wanted to put more speed on the field,” Orgeron said. “We ran a little stunt on the inside, and he had a great sack. Marcel is a very talented young man and has a good spirit about him.”
The trio was a part of LSU’s 2019 recruiting class, which ranked fifth in the nation; according to 247sports.com. Stingley was the consensus top defensive back and was even ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit for the entire 2019 class, according to some outlets.
Brooks, a five-star from Texas, and Davis-Price, a top-10 running back, were both elite recruits in their own right. Davis-Price had played in all five of LSU’s previous games, but most of his playing time came in blowouts against Northwestern State and Utah State.
And yet, in the biggest moments, LSU relied on three true freshmen to come through. And while Orgeron thought all three were ready to play in big moments, crediting the work his assistant coaches did developing and preparing them, it wasn’t a certainty.
“I don’t think you ever know,” Delpit said. “They’re great players, and they stepped up in the spotlight. It’s hard to do that as a freshman, and I’m glad they made the plays when they came to them.”
Against Florida, Davis-Price finished with three carries for 40 yards and a touchdown, while Stingley had six tackles and Brooks added his sack.
On the season, Stingley is tied for third in the nation with nine pass breakups. He’s had three consecutive games with an interception. For comparison, LSU’s two Thorpe Award winners, given to college football’s best defensive back, Patrick Peterson had three pass breakups and one interception as a freshman and Morris Claiborne only recorded seven tackles.
The two didn’t become household names until their second and third years, making what Stingley is doing now even more impressive.
“We always account on young guys,” Logan said. “We always want them to step up. They were just doing what they came here do. That’s what they got recruited to do, and all they did was step up in a big game. They’re big time players.”
LSU freshman cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) lines up for a snap during the Tigers' 42-28 victory over Florida on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019.
