PFF ranks Top-10 returning cornerbacks in college football

On3 imageby:Kaiden Smith•05/17/23•

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Cornerback has become one of the premier positions in college football, with seemingly every Power Five conference having a multitude of lockdown defenders on the outside. In this year’s draft, four corners were selected in the first round and 37 total when the draft was all said and done.

There was no shortage of talent in the secondary in this year’s draft class, but what about the returning talent in the secondary that will still be playing on Saturday’s this upcoming season?

Pro Football Focus has taken the time to rank the Top 10 returning cornerbacks across all of college football. The SEC led all conferences with four cornerbacks on the list, two of which play for the defending back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs. The Big Ten conference is right on the SEC’s heels with three selections, but Georgia is the only team on the list with multiple players represented.

Check out PFF’s full list below.

PFF’s Top 10 returning cornerbacks in college football for 2023

  1. Kool-Aid McKinstry – Alabama
  2. Kalen King – Penn State
  3. Will Johnson – Michigan
  4. Benjamin Morrison – Notre Dame
  5. Cooper DeJean – Iowa
  6. Josh Newton – TCU
  7. Javon Bullard – Georgia
  8. Fentrell Cypress – Florida State
  9. Jason Marshall – Florida
  10. Kamari Lassiter – Georgia

McKinstry tops the list after an outstanding season in 2022 for the Crimson Tide where he earned All-SEC First Team honors and first-team All-American honors from PFF. His 18 pass breakups tied for second in the country last season, and his 332 punt return yards led all Power Five players. He returns to a secondary that had major losses in the 2023 NFL Draft like Brian Branch, Jordan Battle, and DeMarcco Hellams, and will likely be the unquestioned leader of Nick Saban’s defensive backfield this season.

Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. received a lot of attention before getting drafted with the very first pick in the second round of this year’s draft, but the cornerback that played opposite of him may be selected even higher in 2024. Kalen King ranked No. 2 on the top 10 and deserves it, leading all cornerbacks in the nation last year with a 93.3 player grade and 18.3 passer rating allowed according to PFF. King is asked to play in a lot of man coverage situations in Penn State’s defense, and more often than not came up big for the Nittany Lions.

Rounding out the top three is Michigan corner Will Johnson, one of just two players to make it on the top ten after their freshman seasons. The former five-star recruit delivered an impressive freshman season, leading all Power Five corners with a 91.1 grade in man coverage according to PFF.