what he is.

Quarterback Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner and soon-to-be No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, sees it every day, facing Stingley in practice. Burrow calls him "a rare breed" and says: "I think he's one of the top five cornerbacks in the country. He would get drafted in the first round this year as a true freshman."

Safety Grant Delpit, a future first-round pick and this year's Thorpe Award recipient as the nation's top defensive back, sees it too. He knows the kind of player he's sharing a secondary with. "He's going to turn out to be one of the best defensive backs that have come through here," Delpit says—quite a statement, considering the defensive backs who have been produced in recent years at a program nicknamedyear, in which he led the SEC in interceptions (six) and pass breakups (15), will conclude with the national championship game.

But there's no bragging or hype from Stingley. "I don't really talk that much," he says. "I just walk around and do what I have to do. And I just observe people."

This serene football prodigy has football in his DNA. He knows its remarkable highs and unfathomable lows better than most anyone his age could imagine. And while his own legacy is still in its infancy, this is a stage he has been groomed for since birth.

He's not here for the hype.

Stingley, a Baton Rouge native, grew up with LSU. He idolized Peterson. He revered the greatness of Landry and Adams and Mathieu and the seemingly endless stream