By
LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
(THANK YOU TIGER FAMILY!
The following is yet another excerpt from our 2020 Tigers Almanac, which can be had in full here https://www.lsuodyssey.com/product-page/the-2020-lsu-tigers-almanac-presented-created-by-lsuodyssey-com
217 Pages, every player & coach profiled, the only place for all the info on the 2020 Tigers...that's 21.7 pages of impossible to find stats, we know cause we had to watch hours of footage to create them and info compiled from every top LSU source, give it a chance and you won't stop reading it until you can tell random strangers who Nelson Jenkins III is with authority!) #24
DEREK STINGLEY JR (Sophomore)
6'1
190
DUNHAM 2018 STATS:
548 RECEIVING YARDS (23.8 per catch)
23 CATCHES (91.3 YARDS PER GAME)
6 TD RECEPTIONS
1 RUSHING TD
LSU 2019 STATS:
-6 Interceptions
(2 vs UGA in SEC Title Game)
-1 fumble recovery vs Clemson
-80 targets, only 19 completions (4.2% opposition completion rate)
-28 defended / dislodged / deflected passes
-4 TDs Allowed (2 vs Bama, 1 vs NWState, 1 vs Florida)
-5 Dropped INTs (NW State x2, Vanderbilt x2, Arkansas)
-12 Tackles on gains of 3 yards or less
-Flagged 2x (got away with 2 vs GSO & UGA)
-Forced 3 Flags Played in 15 Games No joke, alongside Herschel Walker, Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, Bo Jackson, Joe "F**king" Burrow or Verne Lundquist's timeless Minnesotan skish, when all is said and done, Derek could be the greatest recruit the SEC has ever seen....especially when he looks to suit up at both corner and receiver in his junior year.
Before that legend-transcending bridge, a fundamental truth must be addressed: Even if he were to never play another down for the Tigers, Stingley will already be remembered as a bona fide LSU Legend, purely via his exploits at cornerback in 2019/20. But much to the fear of every SEC school or CFP perennial (Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State...ya know...the teams from the weak play-in conferences): The Dunham School product is only an 18 year old kid....the dude can't even legally smoke or drink yet and he's smoking the opposition like a dank Snoop Dogg breakfast, just as much as he frustrates receivers into looking like they're about to fail a breathalyzer...
Holding the potential to be a freak in the return game, as well as another world class option for Myles Brennan in the receiving corps, Stingley has the rare opportunity to affect all three phases of the game...making one play after another...
While the mute Stingley boasts a footballing athleticism and ability only Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Charles Woodson or Tyrann Mathieu can claim, it's his role as a cornerback which made him a champion. Simply put, Derek's G.O.A.T coverage skills hand LSU's defense a priceless malevolent control which greatly aided LSU's title charge. Who knows what the future may hold for this superstar...he could be a flame-out at receiver, still be a world class corner, while scoring one punt/kick return TD after another, breaking every record in his path....
We simply don't know how good he can be...but from the evidence we've been given, the young man that he is, his accomplishments, immortal techniques, as well as the rare mistakes he experienced vs Alabama or Florida, there's still room for the greatest freshman cornerback in collegiate history to improve. The scary thing for all SEC opponents: he will adapt, adjust, mature and build on his 6 interceptions, catching 4 in the red zone as a freshman, allowing completions on a radioactive 4.2% of his targets; with lesser targets in his 2nd season, Derek may not top 2019's 28 passes defended, now that the secret is well and truly out... ...Regardless, the fewer targets may actually make him an even more productive cornerback in 2020... Stingley will endure a season in which he must remain alert; geauxing long stretches without targets is something Stingley grew accustomed to throughout high school, but he'll need to stay 100% sharp for those random moments where quarterbacks have no recourse but to attack his sideline. While his debut 2019 campaign will be hard (perhaps impossible) to top, creating 7 turnovers, 6 picks, 2 in the SEC Title game, dropping 5 potential INTs, scooping up a National Championship Game-sealing fumble recovery while being elected an All-American...in 2020, Stingley could total half of those numbers or accolades and still transcend his 2019 influence. His offensive future is still up in the air and we're at least a season away before the confirmed agreement between Derek Sr and Coach Orgeron is put to the test, yet already the fan debate has turned into strong-willed contention, such is his obvious singularity on defense. Derek, aka The Hurricane of Saban Shame, has become so inherently important to the title-winning, title-defending framework at LSU that even his hypothetical absence incites Danny Bonaduce to speak in tongues, James Carville and Cole Cubelic to exchange blood-oaths, and uncontainable public nudity to run rampant through the streets of Baton Rouge.
Just enjoy what he does on defense, check out every rep as he improves and escalates his game...please Kyle Trask, throw it Derek's way, again: I DARE YOU.
There's plenty of time for Orgeron and the Stingley family to decide whether to stick with the 2018 agreement, although this decision won't effect the 2020 campaign itself anyway, LSU aren't lacking in skill position thoroughbreds.
Due to the presence of WRs who will be in their prime during 2021 or 2022, like freshmen Koy Moore, Kayshon Boutte, Alex Adams, TE/WR combo Arik Gilbert or sophomore Trey Palmer, Stingley may never see the offensive side of the field in purple and gold simply due to personnel. With defense as his stage to shine, we believe, by the end of Stingley's career he will have passed Chris Williams' all time interception record (21)....why? How?? Because that's how he's been raised....challenging greatness is his middle name, re-formatting history is what he was born to do.
PROJECTIONS:
In a season where QBs will be much more terrified to throw towards his sideline, attracting a slight 42 total targets, Stingley will somehow obliviously improve upon his INT total:
7 INT, 17 PD, 4 catches dislodged by hit, and only 6 catches & 1 TD allowed;
He'll also score 1 TD in the punt return game, return 1 of his 7 INTs to the house, and chip in with 43 Tackles (as opponents begin to run more towards Stingley's sideline).
Yes...he receives a Heisman nomination, wins the Thorpe Award, and takes his place as yet another unanimous All-American from DBU.
By
LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
GEAUX TIGERS
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