LSU Cornerback Derek Stingley Returns to Practice Ahead of UCLA Opener

It was the plan all along but star cornerback Derek Stingley is back in uniform for the Tigers ahead of their week one matchup with UCLA. Stingley had been held out of practice since the early days od the first week of fall camp but returned in a gold non-contact jersey on Monday and the team will begin slowly reving up hi workload as the week progresses.

“He looked fine,” coach Ed Orgeron said Tuesday on Off the Bench. “First day. It took him a little while to get going and warmed up, but once he warmed up, he was fine.”

LSU is set to practice on Wednesday before the team heads out for Los Angeles to take on UCLA on Saturday evening. Stingley is obviously a significant piece to what LSU wants to do on defense. Having a lockdown defender opposite of another elite coverage cornerback in Elias Ricks is a benefit not many other teams in the country have.

The two are on a short list as the most valuable defensive players in the SEC and eliminating the passing game of the Bruins will go a long way into packing the box and stuffing the run game. UCLA ran all over Hawaii in its first game of the season, combining for 244 yards on the ground.

Stingley comes in with all the hype in the world surrounding him as he is a preseason All-American and All-SEC talent as well as ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit's "most exciting" player to watch this upcoming season. But his progression as a leader on the field through his play is what will ultimately get this defense back on the right track.

Locked in, focused, ready to dominate. That’s the switch that Stingley, Jr. must turn on. He leads his team with communication throughout this week to help teammates, but he leads the Tigers into the Rose Bowl with the intent to completely take away the wide receivers he goes against.

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