LSU landed the verbal commitment of the nation’s top cornerback prospect today, as Baton Rouge’s own Derek Stingley Jr. announced his decision to re-commit to #DBU. I know I can’t please everyone.. In my heart I truly feel this is the right place for me. I’m all in! 100% committed! Please respect my decision. pic.twitter.com/CX7exqfMww — Derek Stingley Jr. (@JrStingley) June 20, 2018 Stingley is the No. 1 cornerback in the 247 Sports composite rankings, and the No. 1 overall player in the country on Rivals.com. He made his decision public today, on his 17th birthday. Dan said it on this — Stingley, from the Dunham School in Baton Rouge, is a 6-foot, 193-pound prospect reportedly laser-timed at 4.3 in the forty yard dash. Many recruiting analysts consider him the best overall player Louisiana has produced since Leonard Fournette. Stingley was offered by Corey Raymond as a sophomore in high school, and was committed for a time before deciding to take a look at his other options. He eventually chose the Tigers over finalists Florida and Texas. He marks the second five-star prospect in LSU’s class, and second from Baton Rouge alongside guard Kardell Thomas.<doc-sep>Photo credit: 247Sports The LSU Tigers got a big victory when cornerback Derek Stingley joined Ed Orgeron's 2019 recruiting class. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports broke down Wednesday's decision: 247Sports lists him as a 5-star player, Louisiana's second-ranked prospect and the No. 1 corner. The commitment gives LSU the 15th-ranked recruiting class for 2019, per 247Sports. Before committing to LSU, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native was recruited by the likes of Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma and Texas. As he revealed in May, his final decision came down to the Tigers, the Gators and the Longhorns. The good news for Tigers fans is that he made it clear that once he announced his decision, there will be no changing his mind. He had previously decommitted from the school last year. LSU's recruitment of the defensive back was likely helped by the fact that they did the little things, like surprising him on his birthday: As much as having Stingley on the team helps the Tigers, it's also an added bonus that they were able to keep him from the rival Gators. Video Play Button Videos you might like Of course, the hometown team had to feel good about its chance for a while. The high schooler announced earlier this year that the Tigers were the front-runner. "LSU is my leader," Stingley said, via SECCountry.com's Sam Spiegelman. "Everyone else still has a shot, though. If those schools keep working like they have, then we'll see how things turn out, but right now, LSU leads." While other teams still had time to change his mind, he made it clear that his connection to LSU goes back years. "It's just the relationships," Stingley noted, via Spiegelman. "We have built a relationship since my 9th grade year. That's a long time, and I'm close with them. Some schools are just jumping on board. They have a long ways to go." As footage posted by Premier Highlights shows, Stingley possesses ridiculous playmaking skills: Not only that, but his numbers are off the charts: A 4.30 40-yard dash and a 42-inch vertical? There's a lot for Tigers fans to be excited about. That type of athleticism makes him a dangerous weapon on both sides of the football. While Stingley has earned high reviews as a defensive back, he also can be a quarterback's best friend. "He has played both ways. In my opinion, he's just as good of a wide receiver as a DB," Derek Stingley Sr. told ESPN 104.5's Off The Bench. "His hand-eye coordination is sick." Fathers may be biased, but the film backs up that high praise: The potential for Stingley to play on both sides of the ball is there. The 6'0", 193-pound recruit has the speed and hands to make plays wherever he lines up. LSU fans will have one more year before Stingley suits up for the team. However, he will give the Tigers a taste of what's in store as he plays out his senior season this fall.<doc-sep>LSU landed one of the nation’s more remarkable and dominant football prospects on Wednesday in the form of Derek Stingley, the No. 1 cornerback in the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2019. Stingley is a perfectionist. He’s an honors student at rigorous Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham School, where he intercepted his first two varsity passes as an eighth grader. His laser-timed 4.3 in the 40-yard dash at a spring Nike Football The Opening Regional is the fastest mark in the country. As a junior, Stingley saw just 18 passes come his way the entire fall and he intercepted 11 of them and broke up six more. The word “specia”l is thrown around too much by our industry when talking about prospects but it certainly applies here. Stingley was the most important recruit on LSU’s board and is as close to a sure thing as one can get in 2019. Hailing from right down the road, the Tigers beat Florida and Texas for the coveted prospect that had opportunities from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and Stanford as well. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Stingley is the prototype at the position and he’ll be hard to keep out of the starting lineup as a true freshman. He is a coach’s kid from terrific genetics. Stingley’s grandfather Darryl was a receiver and a first-round draft pick out of Purdue by the New England Patriots. The elder Derek Stingley was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 Major League Baseball draft, and after bouncing around the minors picked football back up and had a nice Arena League career wrapped around earned a practice squad opportunity with the New York Jets. The elder Stingley then went on to coach for many years in the Arena League before coaching his son in middle school and high school at Dunham School where he is currently the defensive backs coach. From Stingley’s work ethic, to his pedigree, to his athleticism and intelligence, the blue-chip recruit has it all. I also envision him making big plays on special teams as he returned six kicks for scores as a junior. It also wouldn’t be surprising if LSU utilized him in some capacity on offense as well. Stingley is obviously talented enough and smart enough to carry the workload. “He has such a desire to learn his trade, really be a craftsman,” Dunham School coach Neil Weiner said. “He watches a ton of film. On Hudl we’re able to look and see how much time people have logged in. Some guys will have 30 minutes in the past seven days and he’d have several hours. He loves the game. He’s a true student.” Because Stingley goes to a school that is pre-K through 12th grade, he was able to join the varsity while in eighth grade. Smooth in coverage, a physical tackler, and a threat to score every time he touches the ball, Stingley made an impact right away and now he’s as dominating a prospect as there is in the country. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 8 player regardless of position. He’s the jewel of an LSU class that rises five spots to No. 10 in the 247Sports Team Rankings. “He’s an outstanding young man,” Weiner said. “He always handles himself with class and character. All the intangibles away from the football field make him a great young man and prospect.” Physically, not many defensive backs can cover the way Stingley does at his size. His speed is documented, and he has a 42-inch vertical to go with it. His quick twitch burst to the ball is special, and whether it’s instincts or being prepared, Stingley typically plays mistake-free, flawless football. “He’s very calculated as a defensive back,” Weiner added. “He doesn’t take a lot of chances. Very rarely does he not break on the ball and not intercept it. I’ve yet to see him get beat.” With Stingley in the fold, Ed Orgeron and his staff have a chance to land a special group, headlined by what could be the best defensive back class in the country. Stingley is commit No. 12 joining fellow in-state five-star in offensive lineman Kardell Thomas. Four-star cornerback Maurice Hampton and touted Lone Star State cornerback Marcus Banks are also in the fold. Beyond those names, Orgeron, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, Corey Raymond and company would love to add the No. 1 JUCO cornerback in the country Elijah Blades, four-star Joey Porter Jr. and flip Cordell Flott from Auburn. Former LSU coach Les Miles offered Stingley his freshman year and he committed to the Tigers in June of 2016. He reopened the process nearly a year later but never strayed too far. Now he’s back in the fold and Orgeron would be hard-pressed to land a better player in 2019. Stingley is as good as it gets in this rising senior class.<doc-sep>
Today may be Derek Stingley Jr.’s 17th birthday but it’s LSU that’s the one receiving the biggest gift on this day as the nation’s top cornerback in the 2019 recruiting class has announced his commitment to the join the Tigers. Stingley picked LSU over Florida and Texas. The five-star Baton Rouge native is currently ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the nation and the No. 15 overall prospect by 247Sports Composite Rankings. Rivals rates Stingley as the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect. According to his high school head coach, Neil Weiner, Stingley was targetted by opposing quarterbacks 18 times, which resulted in 11 interceptions and six pass breakups. The one reception he gave up came while playing prevent defense. Stingley is now LSU’s highest-rated commitment for this cycle and the second five-star pledge, joining offensive lineman Kardell Thomas. The Tigers now hold 13 pledges and have the nation’s No. 10-ranked recruiting class, up from No. 15 prior to this commitment. Stingley had been committed to the program under Les Miles back in 2016 but stepped back from that pledge to reconsider his options following the uncertainty surrounding the LSU program back in 2016. If you are wondering how committed Stingley is considering we are still several months away from the early signing period, his father has indicated that this decision will be final. “(His commitment) will be final. It won’t be another school jumps in there and grabs his attention, we are not doing that as a family,” Stingley Sr. said during a May appearance on Baton Rouge-based ESPN 104.5 FM radio show Off the Bench. “These are his final three and there is no one else that will come in and pull him out of there.” Stingley announced his commitment via the following video: I know I can’t please everyone.. In my heart I truly feel this is the right place for me. I’m all in! 100% committed! Please respect my decision. pic.twitter.com/CX7exqfMww — Derek Stingley Jr. (@JrStingley) June 20, 2018 You can check out his junior season highlight reel here: