Stiggers grew up in a family of 13 children and attended The B.E.S.T. Academy high school in Atlanta where he played American football, basketball, and baseball.[1] One of his brothers was almost left as a quadriplegic after a spinal cord accident playing football.[2] Stiggers' father was involved in a serious car accident on February 14, 2020, and later died on September 19, 2020, while Stiggers was a freshman at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee; his father's death caused him to enter into a significant depression that resulted in him dropping out despite being on a scholarship.[3]
Stiggers signed with the Argonauts of the on January 4, 2023, and attended the team's rookie camp at the University of Guelph later that May.[1][3] While many expected him to be cut during the preseason due to his lack of college or professional experience, Stiggers made the team's initial regular season roster and also became a regular starter for the Argonauts during his rookie 2023 CFL season, successfully transitioning to play Canadian football.[3][5] He played in 16 regular season games where he had 53 defensive tackles, three special teams tackles, and five interceptions.[6] By the end of the year, he was chosen as the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie and as a CFL East All-Star, as well as selected to attend the 2024 East–West Shrine Bowl prior to the 2024 NFL draft.[6][7][8]
Stiggers was selected with the 176th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the New York Jets. He was the first player drafted directly from the CFL since Jermaine Haley in 1999.[11]
