LSU Football: Where Derek Stingley Jr ranks in Rivals’ top 25 players

LSU football defensive back Derek Stingley Jr is clearly one of the best players in college football.

With the extreme loss of talent that LSU football suffered after the 2019 season, it’s easy to forget that the Tigers have one of the best players in college football returning to Baton Rouge in 2020.

Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr, who signed with LSU as a member of the Tigers’ 2019 recruiting class, was a highly rated prospect during the recruiting process.

Stingley was rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 overall player in the 2019 recruiting class. He was rated by Rivals as the No. 1 overall player in the 2019 class.

After just one year in college, Stingley has already lived up to the hype of being the top overall player…and then some.

Stingley was named the Pro Football Focus freshman of the year in 2019 after leading all cornerbacks in the nation with a 90.1 overall grade.

It goes without saying that Stingley will be one of the most talked about names in college football in 2020. But where does he rank among Rivals’ top 25 players?

LSU football’s Derek Stingley Jr ranks high in Rivals’ top 25

Rivals recruiting analyst Mike Farrell recently ranked the top 25 college football players for 2020 and he had Stingley, unsurprisingly, near the top of the list.

Farrell placed Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 and Stingley at No. 2.

(I’d put Stingley above Lawrence, but I understand a quarterback being No. 1.)

“Already named as the best player on a great defense that won the national title last season, Stingley has a great future ahead of him,” wrote Farrell. “We liked him as a big, physical corner with rare instincts and athleticism, and he will easily be a first-rounder when his turn comes. He’s the best I’ve seen at the position.”

Stingley is already an incredible player. And he’s just going to get better. The good news for LSU fans is they get two more seasons of watching the dynamic cornerback go to work in Baton Rouge.