Advertisement
football Edit

No. 1 player in 2019 Derek Stingley commits to LSU

Derek Stingley Jr. committed to LSU once before. The Tigers were the first school to offer him, it was his childhood dream to play for the home-state team and he kind of got caught up in the moment.

From June 2016 to April 2017, the No. 1 prospect in the country was an LSU commitment.

The 6-foot-1, 185 pound cornerback out of Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham took a step back, evaluated different schools, and on Wednesday, the nation's best truly committed to LSU over Florida and Texas.

Advertisement

IN HIS OWN WORDS

"I took my official visits to really get a good look at Florida and Texas, then thought about things, and about two weeks ago, I really knew it was LSU," said Stingley.

"There are a lot of reasons I love LSU, but the main thing is coach Corey Raymond. We have built a strong relationship over a long period of time. We have really gotten to know each other. I am relaxed around him, we can talk about anything and I know he will be there for me at any time. Our connection is what really pushed LSU to the top.

"The first time I committed to LSU was more off excitement. It was my first offer, I always wanted to play for LSU and I did not think about it at all.

"This commitment is completely different. I took my time. I put more time into it and really looked at other schools. I got caught up in the hype before and I did not know anything about recruiting or other schools. I know all I need to know now and LSU is the school for me. I am done now and I will not visit any other schools.

"When I told the LSU coaches about my decision, they were excited and they talked about how they want to keep building this class. We all want to bring a National Championship back to LSU.

"I think we are close. It we keep all the top guys in the Boot this class, then we could be very close. I will recruit some for sure, but I am not going to force LSU on guys if they don't feel it. If they want to hear what I have to say, I will definitely talk to them about LSU.

"If we keep the talent in the Boot this class, then I will say that this will be the best class ever to come through LSU. I think that could happen."

RIVALS REACTION

This is no surprise. Stingley had LSU on top of his list for as long as we can remember. He gave a couple of other schools a fair shot, but he wanted to stay home. LSU is getting an elite cornerback, one of the best we have seen in the last decade. He will be hard to keep off the field in the fall of 2019. He is working now to be an early enrollee, so LSU fans can expect Stingley to be on their campus in January 2019. He is a special talent.

Advertisement