The injury situation for the LSU Tigers has been a rough one as of late. They recently lost Andre Anthony for the season and top defender Derek Stingley was listed as very questionable per head coach Ed Orgeron. It was reported on Saturday morning by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that Stingley would indeed miss the game against the Bulldogs and he would miss an extended period of time.
Last year Stingley dealt with injury issues and it appears he is still being hampered by injuries. He missed time in camp due to an injury but Stingley was able to return to the team for the opener against UCLA. He re-injured himself and that put his status for Mississippi State in doubt.
Derek Stingley Jr isn’t expected to play and could be out an extended amount of time per Bruce Feldman. Starting to wonder if he will just focus on the draft at this point.
— Patrick Conn (@PatrickConnCFB) September 25, 2021
With so much emphasis on him being a top-three prospect in the 2022 NFL draft, at what point do we have the discussion that he might not wear purple and gold again this season? In today’s game of college football, it isn’t uncommon to see a top prospect shut it down and prepare for the next level of football.
The most recent scenario that I can recall was Nick Bosa and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was a top-tier prospect and dealt with an injury. He decided to focus on preparing for the draft where the San Francisco 49ers made him the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Bosa played in just three games during the 2018 season, could Stingley pull a Bosa and withdraw from LSU?
Only time will tell but with the number of injuries that he has sustained the last two seasons, it very well could happen.