So far it sounds like Derek Stingley is living up to the hype in Baton Rouge.

The nation’s top-ranked cornerback in the 2019 recruiting cycle signed and enrolled early at LSU in order to get a jump start on his career with the Tigers. It’s a good thing he did, as the Baton Rouge native looks to not only position himself to start as a defensive back in Dave Aranda’s defense his first season in college but the way Ed Orgeron describes it, Stingley is going to be a special player as a returner for the Tigers.

That’s great news for the program as two of the biggest positions of needs heading into the fall are at defensive back and at punt returner. Having one player, a true freshman no less, fill them both would seem to be too much to ask of most players but Stingley certainly isn’t your typical early enrollee.

Here’s what Coach O had to say about the freshman’s ability as a kick returner during his most recent media availability.

“Really good, really good. He has the vision, he’s hard to tackle,” Orgeron said. “You know, he’s a mild-mannered kid off the field but he’s got an edge to him on the field. He wants to make plays, he has vision, obviously what he did in high school was phenomenal. I think he’s going to be a great returner.”

Stingley arrived on campus with a purpose in mind — to help the Tigers in any way possible on the field immediately — and after a few weeks of practice in Baton Rouge, in certainly seems like he’s on track to realize his goals immediately come the fall.