Top 25 cornerback rankings entering Week 11 of college football
After another weekend of college football action there were some major shake-ups in the weekly cornerback rankings, with one previous top 10 inclusion slipping down considerably and a handful of others moving around.
Meanwhile, the guys near the top of the ranking continued to show why they are where they are, as Missouri‘s Kris Abrams-Draine and Alabama‘s Kool-Aid McKinstry both had excellent games this weekend.
So who lost ground? Who moved up? Let’s dive into this week’s updated cornerback rankings to see who some of the top cover guys in college football are.
1. Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
Abrams-Draine gave up a little bit of yardage in the loss to Georgia but also had some impressive plays, including two pass breakups. He finished the game giving up two catches on five targets, for a total of 44 yards.
The Missouri cornerback has flat out been fantastic this season, even if every cornerback gets beat here and there. Abrams-Draine just has a knack for finding the football, evidenced by his 16 passes defended, good for second nationally.
2. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
McKinstry has been behind some of the others on this top 25 cornerback rankings list in terms of sheer production, but he’s incredibly difficult to throw on and his presence alone has an impact. That showed up big-time against an LSU team with some major weapons at receiver.
Despite going against Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., McKinstry was able to hold the Tigers to just one completion for eight yards on four total targets. That is serious, serious impact play against a quality opponent.
3. Cooper DeJean, Iowa
Like McKinstry, DeJean managed to hold his opponent to a very low output, giving up just one catch for 11 yards on three targets against Northwestern. It was another strong day for the Iowa star.
On the season, DeJean has racked up 41 tackles, two tackles for a loss, six passes defended and two interceptions. He’s also been a key figure as a return man for the Hawkeyes.
4. Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter continues to impress with his ability to play both ways and make an impact on both sides of the football. On Saturday, he made a bigger impact at receiver, catching eight passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Still, he’s made his presence felt both ways.
On the defensive side of the ball against Oregon State, Hunter turned in two tackles and a pass breakup. That brought his season totals to 20 tackles, three interceptions and three pass breakups.
5. Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Burke has been in and out of the lineup due to injury the last few weeks, missing the team’s game against Penn State and then absent again this week after briefly returning against Wisconsin. The Buckeyes need the talented cornerback to get healthy in a hurry down the stretch.
In the action he has seen — seven games worth — Burke has recorded nine tackles, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, an interception and eight pass breakups. That breakup rate per games played is among the best in the nation.
6. TJ Tampa, Iowa State
Taking on a ranked Kansas team, Tampa was up to the task once again, proving why he’s deserving of a lofty spot in these cornerback rankings. He allowed just one catch for a yard on two targets in a win over the Jayhawks.
Tampa has been a pretty well-balanced cornerback this year, as his stats attest. He has 32 tackles, a tackle for a loss, two interceptions, six pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
7. Khyree Jackson, Oregon
The former Alabama transfer has been quite good all season, and he showed that again in a blowout win over California. Even with the Bears forced to chase the game, Jackson gave up only two catches for 39 yards (on three total targets), while recording one pass breakup.
On the season Jackson has logged 23 tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions and five pass breakups. That’s a nice display for a cornerback in the pass-happy Pac-12.
8. DJ James, Auburn
James was targeted a whopping nine times in a game against Vanderbilt, but he managed to keep just about everything in front of him. James gave up five catches for just 16 yards, while he also broke up two passes. That’s a pretty good day’s work.
The pass breakups were relatively new for James; he hadn’t gotten his hands on a ton of passes before Saturday. On the season James has 29 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and four pass breakups.
9. Mike Sainristil, Michigan
Sainristil tumbled a few spots after giving up a touchdown pass on Saturday in a win over Purdue. He finished the game allowing two catches on four targets, with those receptions going for 35 yards and the touchdown.
The minor tumble still keeps Sainristil in the top 10 of the cornerback rankings, a testament to what he’s done all year. He has recorded 21 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, three interceptions, four pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
10. Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
Morrison jumps back into the top 10 after an absence of a few weeks, thanks to a strong showing in a game against Clemson. He was targeted a total of nine times and gave up just four catches for 26 yards, while also breaking up two passes.
That moved Morrison’s season totals to 24 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and 11 passes defended. His 11 passes defended are tied for 10th nationally.
Top 25 Cornerbacks 11-25
11. Christian Roland-Wallace, USC
12. Terrion Arnold, Alabama
13. Jahdae Barron, Texas
14. Josh Newton, TCU
15. Beanie Bishop, West Virginia
16. Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
17. Kalen King, Penn State
18. Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
19. Willie Roberts, LA Tech
20. Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
21. Sebastian Castro, Iowa
22. Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
23. Alijah Huzzie, North Carolina
24. Chau Smith-Wade, Washington State
25. Jay’Vion Cole, San Jose State
There aren’t a ton of big movers in our cornerback rankings typically, but two would quality this week. Bishop rose from No. 23 to No. 15 after breaking up four passes against BYU to take the national lead in passes defended with 21. Then there was a move the other way. Roberts dropped all the way from No. 7 to No. 19 after giving up three touchdown passes in a loss to Liberty. Stay tuned next week to see what similar moves might be made with another week’s worth of action.