In that 2020 season, Ricks was tasked with a high dose of man coverage and handled it like a professional, as his man-coverage grade ranked first among all Power Five cornerbacks in 2020. 2. College Football: Ranking the top 25 cornerbacks ahead of Week 10 Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Larry Rountree III (34) is tackled by LSU Tigers cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. He was also the No. 14 ranked cornerback in the recruiting class of 2018. Clarks solid ball skills will be on display in 2022. He was also called for nine penalties on the season. Giants select cornerback Tre Hawkins in sixth round of 2023 NFL Draft. He doesnt panic down the field and makes some great high-point plays on the ball. Mullen made clutch plays at Wisconsin, with three solo tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. The former three-star prospect earned first-team All-AAC and Bryants return gives Cincinnatis secondary instant credibility. He had four interceptions and 10 passes defended in 2021. Hell likely be an early favorite for the Jim Thorpe Award. Before his injury-riddled 2021 campaign, Ricks produced at an extraordinarily high level for a true freshman. Clark played one season at Liberty, then transferred to Louisville and has played well in all three years of his college football career. Gonzalez had 50 tackles and four interceptions for the Ducks in 2022, and Witherspoon had 40 tackles, three interceptions, and did not allow a touchdown in the entire 2022 season. Arquon Bush, Cincinnati Bearcats. He is a talented and experienced corner with nine career passes defended. 17. The Baltimore native finished 2020 with 37 total stops and broke up seven passes. He has the confidence to turn his head and make plays on the ball when tangles up with the receiver down the field. A technique in which the CB shows press coverage before the snap and immediately drops off as the ball is snapped. He also broke up three passes against Texas a&M. 14 ranked overall player in the recruiting class of 2020. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. After landing Stingley Jr. in the 2019 class, LSU landed another top cornerback in last year's recruiting class. Porter Jr. needs to watch how physical he is with wide receivers this season to avoid flags. Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents (23) intercepts a pass intended for West Virginia wide receiver Reese Smith (15) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Morgantown, W.Va . In high school, he clocked a verified 4.35 40 time. He was also the No. Duck was great during his true freshman season in 2019, totaling 37 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions, and one touchdown. 6 ranked cornerback and No. The outermost defensive backs responsible for covering receivers. Throwing the ball in the grass every play would generate a passer rating of 39.6.". Caesar, TCU: The former three-star prospect broke up four passes and snagged three interceptions, including two in the bowl win over Louisiana Tech in 2020. These 20 defenders displayed what it takes to be a successful corner in big time College football last season and theyll be out to get their hands on more balls in 2021. During his freshman season in 2019, Stingley recorded 38 tackles, 15 pass breakups, and six interceptions. Kool-Aid McKinstry Pinson Valley (Pinson, AL) CB . The 2019 four-star recruit allowed the fourth-lowest catch rate in the Power Five over that span at 42%. Hes going to challenge TCUs TreVius Hodges-Tomlinson for best cornerback in the Big 12 in 2021.". QB | RB | WR | TE | iOL | OT | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S. Mullens 2021 campaign was derailed by an injury, limiting him to only four starts and 227 snaps overall. The Baylor product is on the smaller end of the position at 5-foot-10, 188 pounds, but he makes up for it with his great all-around athleticism. Prunty has great range, standing six-foot-one, and weighing 185 pounds. Was one of the lead recruiters on nine BC signees, including four-star cornerback Clinton Burton. His name is familiar and Porter brings the physicality that his dad brought to the football field. Chestnut was a freshman starter for the Orange and registered three interceptions and eight passes defended. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Now, did he make some mistakes this past season? Chris Steele, USC: He showed promise as a true sophomore for the Trojans last season. In 2021, Grimes allowed 15 yards or less in eight of 13 games, but he surrendered 60 or more yards in the other five outings. Boston College has a few key players on offense, but DeBerry is by far the best player on their defense. *Patrick Surtain II 6-1, 203 Alabama 3. Marshall opened his 2021 true freshman campaign with a couple of rough outings, but he played at an advanced level after those were out of the way. In his entire career with Alabama, Jobe has made 91 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, 15 pass breakups, and one interception. From Week 3 on, the five-star recruit earned a 78.6 coverage grade and allowed only 10 catches on 30 targets and 254 coverage snaps for 93 yards. video for When should Pirates fans buy into this team? The 2020 college football season featured a ton of talented cornerback play acrossevery single conference. In 2022, Phillips will be a tough player to go up against. The Georgia native tallied seven total tackles in the win at Georgia Tech. He allowed just six catches on 19 targets while making seven total plays on the ball when he was tasked with single coverage. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA). When talking about play-makers at the cornerback spot, Riley Moss at Iowa has been as good at it as anybody since the start of the 2021 college football season. After appearing in only four games as a true freshman, Hodges-Tomlinson had a breakout sophomore season in 2020. 2024 Recruiting Rankings. In seven games, Tomlinson-Hodges totaled 26 tackles and 13 pass breakups. "Gardner has developed into one of the best press-man coverage corners in college football over the last few years," Treash wrote. McCreary tallied three solo tackles, forced a fumble and picked off a pass in the opening win over Kentucky. The former four-star prospect generated six total tackles, including five solo against Alabama in the SEC Championship. Likely first player off the board. "Duck finished his first season with an 81.3 coverage grade, a top-20 mark in the Power Five and one of the 15 best we have ever given to a true freshman in our seven years of grading college football," Treash wrote. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. 22. Follow Walter @walterfootball for . "He is just one of three outside corners in the Power Five who has generated a coverage grade above 75.0 in both man and zone coverage since 2019. Darrell Luters name should be in any conversation about the most underrated player in college football. Eli Ricks, LSU: Last season he delivered on all the hype that he arrived with as a five-star recruit. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder has inside-outside versatility and is a ferocious blitzer. These 2022 college football recruiting rankings have been compiled after sifting through well over 2,000 names and even more video clips and highlight reels of the best high school football players in the country. 1 Georgia 234.29. Ranked ninth and tenth overall in their class, either one would be an excellent first pick, and the second will go shortly behind. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Gonzalez (6-1, 197) has ideal size and length for an NFL cornerback. Taking a look at the list based on conferences, the SEC leads the way with four players ranked. Clark followed up that performance with three interceptions in the win over Ole Miss. He makes sure to somehow get the ball carrier to the ground, where he can wrap around the knees or clutch a leg. The former three-star prospect racked up six solo tackles, including three solo in the win over Oklahoma State. He has missed just two of his 64 career tackle attempts and earned a run-defense grade that ranks second among Power Five corners over the last two years.". NFL Draft prospects: Ranking cornerbacks heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. The two are simply one of the top tandems in college football in 2021 and will be valuable parts to seeing the defense improve next season. You canlikeThe Game Haus on Facebook andfollowus on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers! Not too many freshmen start at Ohio State, but Burke did and played well. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. In back-to-back games against Syracuse and Boston College Booth had five tackles apiece. 15 Best Cornerbacks in College Football in 2023. Ive seen him bend with receivers down the post when having to stick to them and track the ball as if he was the receiver for an interception as well. ELI RICKS, ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE Alabama plucked the top cornerback returning to college football out of the transfer portal in Eli Ricks, who comes from LSU . How Garner holds up against some of the more athletic receivers in the SEC will be something to monitor. A college football website covering the power five conferences, Indiana's Tiawan Mullen after a 38-31 victory over Nebraska, Saturday October 26, 2019 at Memorial Stadium. However, Taylor-Britt is the best playmaker out of the Blackshirts, who also returns kicks and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season. Your login session has expired. Wright also returned kickoffs and finished 2020 with first-team All-Pac-12 honors. ), Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings He also added 39 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games during his 2020 campaign with the Gators. Luter missed the final two outings due to injury, but we wont let that take away from what he did in 10 games as a starter. 2020 College Football Top Recruiting Classes . However, during his true freshman season in 2019, McDuffie totaled 45 tackles, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one interception in 12 games. The Florida native ended 2020 with first-team All-SEC honors. His press performance was, (Photo: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports), Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash recently released a ranking of the top-ten cornerbacksacross college football. ET on Thursday. CORNERBACKS. His length and ability to shut down receivers will be huge for Purdue in 2022. "He has allowed more than 40 receiving yards into his coverage just once in his entire career removing the games with just a few snaps played and looking at those with a minimum of 15 coverage snaps, Mullen has allowed fewer than 40 yards in 94% of his games, which is the best rate among qualifying FBS cornerbacks over the past two years.". Before he was a Tar Heel, Duck was a 247Sports Composite three-star recruit out of Boiling Springs, South Carolina. 6-4. He was also the No. The California native also had an interception in victories over South Carolina and Florida. Here are the best cornerbacks in college football from the best 15 heading into the 2023 season. You just love his play-making skills as the flat defender in cover-two, where he can sink and get his hands on passes over his head. The Ducks will have one of the best secondaries in the league this fall. He tallied four solo tackles in the opener against Coastal Carolina. These are the current college football recruiting rankings but they arent the final rankings, and they will be updated periodically. 1 of 25 Will Anderson, Linebacker, Alabama Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY. Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama Jaguars. 1. South Carolina Corner Cam Smith really took off last year and exploded onto the scene with 11 pass breakups. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock Sign Up With knowing what hes capable of, itll be interesting to see if opposing Big 12 quarterbacks will take many opportunities at throwing to his side of the field. 9. While the Gators lose. Alexander had 17 pass breakups and 1.4 wins above replacement which is the highest among all cornerbacks in 2020. jaire.alexander.coverage. Mandatory Credit: Brad McClenny-USA TODAY NETWORK. He was targeted 13 times over those two games, but he allowed just four catches for 31 yards while forcing five incompletions.". CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today. Stingley tallied six total tackles, including five solo in the road win at Vanderbilt. Clark didnt let his scholarship go to waste after he tallied 47 tackles and picked off three passes. DJordan Strong, Coastal Carolina: The Mississippi native recorded 30 tackles, broke up seven passes and snagged five interceptions last season. Forbes immediately made an impact with an interception in the opening win over LSU. Alabama and Tennessee gave him fits, and there were some late-reaction plays that led to positive plays for the opposition.