LSU Football: Will Derek Stingley Jr play again this season?

LSU Football head coach Ed Orgeron admitted this week that he doesn’t think there’s any way that junior cornerback Derek Stingley Jr plays on Saturday against Auburn.

Stingley, who missed last week’s game against Mississippi State, is dealing with a foot injury.

According to Orgeron, Stingley recently went out of state to see another doctor about the injury.

At this point, I think it’s fair to wonder whether or not Stingley will return to the field this season for the Tigers.

Will Derek Stingley Jr play for LSU football again?

It’s unclear what the specific injury is that Stingley is dealing with, but it’s something that’s been lingering since before the season (Stingley missed significant time during fall camp).

This could be an injury that can only be helped by rest. If that’s the case, then Stingley’s future pro career wouldn’t benefit from returning to the field this season.

The standout cornerback is a sure-fire first-round 2022 NFL Draft pick. And he might be a top 10 pick, despite his best collegiate season coming as a true freshman in 2019.

Shutdown cornerbacks are rare. And Stingley showed his potential in 2019. He’s an elite player that can take over defensively. Any NFL team would love to have him.

Stingley is at the point where he has to be thinking about his NFL career. That’s the ultimate goal for the Louisiana native.

There’s nothing to gain for Stingley if he tries to come back this season, but plenty to lose. While I think we’d all love to see Stingley on the field again this season for the Tigers, I can certainly understand if he decides to shut it down for the rest of the year.

Sometimes the risk isn’t worth the reward. And this might be one of those times.