SUBSCRIBE HERE TO SUPPORT LSUODYSSEY's MISSION IN PROVIDING TRAILBLAZING, CONSISTENT TIGERS COVERAGE
SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS @ EYECONIKBRAND.COM, LOUISIANA'S #1 STOP FOR CHAMPIONSHIP MENTALITY APPAREL
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
Back in late 2020, after a couple of folks gave me a heads up on Malik Nabers, these same in-the-know people also continuously sang the praises of Ashton Stamps, who was at that time just ending his freshman season at Rummel High.....I am always intrigued by a forecast of such depth & adventure.
"He's a dawg," I was told, over and over again, as they made a note to point out Stamps' steely maturity and willingness to fight back against adversity.
But for all his athletic capabilities or coverage skill, even his biggest supporters didn't project Stamps would end up starting @ Alabama by the climax of his debut LSU odyssey....but it happened....the former Rummel High Raider arrived on campus last fall among the freshmen fringes of Brian Kelly's Year II roster....only to end 2023 as a starting cornerback, taking advantage of every chance that came his way.
Stamps' numbers were impeccable within a disastrous defense (23 tackles, 2 PBUs, 17 catches given up from 25 overall targets, 196 yards surrendered, 59 YAC, 2 forced incompletions via strong coverage, 1 TD directly charged against him, refusing to allow his first reception until the 9th target he faced);
Proven pedigree & now proven production alongside the development taking shape.....once Stamps & fellow 2023 freshman CB Javien Toviano assumed control of both cornerback spots, the coverage busts from LSU cornerbacks dropped dramatically, with opposition QBs targeting veteran safeties Major Burns & Andre Sam or linebackers Omar Speights / Greg Penn III over the debutant duo.
Growth & much expectation was heaped upon Stamps heading into his sophomore campaign, yet with the re-hiring of former DBU Miyagi, Mr. Corey Raymond, the former Rummel Raider was now in elite developmental hands.
Now we're seeing the fruits of that extended labor, but also his apprenticeship learning from Coach Corey Raymond already emboldened Ashton to take his game to a whole 'nother level in 2024:
Already clutching 4 interceptions (that we know of at the time of writing) across 7 days of practice, including a red zone interception on LSU starting QB Garrett Nussmeier, the Harvey native adds shackling coverage on the best of LSU's receiving corps, expertly timed pass breakups, jarring the hall loose due to his swatting hands, aggression at the line, and step for step matcheration (we make up our own artisan words now damnit)....
Stamps understands he is now the best cornerback at DBU....he's currently been coached in that vein, he's been given those responsibilities and their consequential challenges. To be the best, Stamps must sharpen his own game against Cortez Hankton's endless array of receiving profiles....these daily battles are already elevating his game, right when LSU needed Stamps to deliver the most:
Potentially another savage young corner with some on field experience & strong 2023 results, Javien Toviano is only just back from suspension, on thin ice, playing tentatively, and doing very little.....following his ACL tear & surgery, Zy Alexander only just returned to full pads practice a few days ago.....Sage Ryan isn't a cornerback, but if you were going to make that switch, why not after last fall, a year he played there exclusively??? Instead, after practicing him at free safety all spring, his natural position, one of the key reasons he changed his mind on a transfer, it doesn't really make sense to put Sage at corner....
As we pointed out in this extensive study of the situation, for DBU to ride out their roster storm & bridge the gap to their stacked future classes, Raymond & Kelly needed Stamps to reach his apex a year ahead of schedule....and he has.
CB1 just switched his number accordingly.....from 26 to 1....
Little by little, he's starting to look more and play like a traditionally electric DBU representative of the classic eras, born under the same bad moon & broken in the same mentality & mold of Corey Webster, Chevis Jackson, Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne....
Stamps has been impressive for some time, yet in the last few weeks, really the entirety of 2024, he's become possessed by the ultimate power & the unbreakable spirit of DBU....
.....in Coach Raymond, Stamps found his guiding light....2 years of high octane SEC & CFP possibilities & a highly likely NFL career to follow....
.....in Stamps, Coach Raymond crowned his most dedicated pupil the new DBU King, passing a torch that has been handed down from every great DB at LSU....Mathieu, Delpit, Greedy, Tre'davious, Stingley.....
Perhaps Stamps will require a tough, grinding, adversarial year to put the pieces together by his money season....maybe 2024 could be a season of tough lessons.....but I don't think for Stamps....
When you look at Stamps, you know he understands the game at an advanced rate, and you can tell he is ready to put all the elements together for a smashmouth, blockbuster, fever dreaming sophomore year....let's hope he receives enough targets to put on a show.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
We will need this guy to be ready from the first game. I think he will be, we simply need to hope for consistency.