LSU star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. was hospitalized overnight on Friday and is expected to be discharged soon, the school said in a statement hours before its season-opening game against Mississippi State on Saturday.
According to the statement, Stingley became “acutely ill” on Friday night but the condition was not COVID-19 related.
While the statement didn’t say if Stingley had officially been ruled out of Saturday’s game, a source told ESPN that his availability against Mississippi State would be “highly unlikely.”would be available to play. Another source told ESPN that “it’s up to the doctors.”
LSU’s statement said Stingley’s return to activity will come “after a full evaluation by the medical team.”
Stingley was a consensus All-American as a true freshman last season and was expected to anchor a defense as one of two returning starters.
The sophomore started all 15 games for LSU’s 2019 national championship squad as a freshman and led the SEC with six interceptions, which ranked fifth nationally. His 21 passes defended also led the SEC and ranked second nationally.
