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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.

This post was edited on 6/20/18 at 1:58 pm