LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and safety JaCoby Stevens were named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list on Monday.
The Jim Thorpe Award is presented annually to the best defensive back in college football.
Jacoby Stevens and Derek Stingley are on the @jimthorpeaward watch list! pic.twitter.com/JcM9PCAx24
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) July 20, 2020
Stingley was arguably the best cornerback in the country last season as a freshman. Stevens will likely take over and fill the void at safety in place of former Tigers star Grant Delpit.
Delpit won the Jim Thorpe Award last season after he accounted for 65 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. He was a viable part of the Tigers’ success on defense that helped lead the way to the program’s fourth national championship in program history.
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Last season, Stingley had 38 tackles — 31 of which were solo tackles. He led the SEC and ranked fifth nationally in interceptions with six, and was a Consensus All-American and a First-Team All-American selection. Along with those awards, the rising sophomore was also a First and Second Team All-SEC selection and the 2019 SEC Freshman of the Year.
Stevens was a 2019 Second Team All-SEC selection and was named the SEC Defensive player of the week three times in 2019. He finished his junior season with 92 total tackles, which ranked second on the team behind Jacob Phillips. He had five sacks and three interceptions on the season last year.
Heading into the 2020 college football season, the Tigers are replacing a lot of talent, and are under new leadership with defensive coordinator Bo Pelini replacing Dave Aranda, who took the head coach position at Baylor.
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Both Stingley and Stevens will play crucial roles in holding down the secondary and keeping opposing receivers in check this season.
Though the Tigers’ schedule has yet to be realigned due to the coronavirus pandemic, the two Tigers defensive stars will be key players to keep an eye on once the season starts.
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