B/R
ATLANTA — Derek Stingley Jr. tries to evade the hype.
He says the right things. How difficult the transition from a small, private high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to LSU and the SEC has been. How surprised he is at his performance. How he's more comfortable observing than talking.
He looks the part of one trying to dodge the spotlight too. On this day in late December at the College Football Hall of Fame, surrounded by shrines to the game's legends and by teammates who will soon be in the NFL, Stingley looks young.