LSU's Derek Stingley, Cade York Named AP Preseason First-Team All Americans

Derek Stingley and Cade York are widely recognized as the best the country has to offer at their respective positions entering the 2021 season. On Monday, the two were named to the Associated Press preseason All-American first-team.

This is not new territory for either player as Stingley was named a first team All-American following his freshman season with the purple and gold while York earned second-team All-American honors from the AP after his sophomore season in 2020. Stingley returns as the most decorated player on this LSU roster boasting a top-five projection in next year's NFL draft and has one of the best all around skill sets of any defensive back in the country.

He's currently out with a lingering camp injury but the hope is to have him back at 100% and on the practice field starting next week in preparation for the UCLA opener in Los Angeles on Sept. 4. Expectations are high for Stingley, who will be wearing No. 7 while also being a centerpiece in a secondary that needs to show strong improvement from last year, particularly in communication.

York was lauded for his phenomenal 2020 season where he went 18-of-21 on field goals and perfect on extra points. York enters 2021 on a number of preseason watch lists, including an All-SEC nod after a near perfect season. But for the now junior kicker, he's always chasing perfection.

“I think perfection is impossible to reach. You never reach your max potential, you just keep going and going," York said. "Even if I make the kick it doesn’t mean I love the hit. There have been plenty of kicks I’ve made that weren’t great hits, and there are plenty of kicks that I missed where I say ‘Well, I hit that pretty well but it didn’t go through’."