Top 25 cornerback rankings entering Week 12 of college football
It was another topsy-turvy week in college football, though most of the losses from ranked opponents came from the lower-ranked team in the matchup. Still, there were some results that played heavily into our latest cornerback rankings.
For one, Alabama star Terrion Arnold continues to vault his way up the list after turning in a thoroughly impressive outing in the win over Kentucky.
How did that result, and dozens of others impact the latest cornerback rankings from On3? Let’s dive in to find out.
1. Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
Abrams-Draine has been cool as a cucumber at the top of this list for the past several weeks and nothing that happened on Saturday would have changed that. Missouri rolled to a dominant win over Tennessee, completely putting the clamps down on the Volunteers’ offense.
The talented cornerback has now racked up 40 tackles on the season, including 1.5 tackles for a loss, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. That’s excellent production for a cornerback, and Abrams-Draine has a unique ability to get his hands on passes.
2. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
While he’s widely regarded as Alabama’s top prospect in the secondary and a surefire NFL Draft pick, McKinstry is getting a push from his counterpart in the last few weeks. The added competition has only served to bring out the best in McKinstry’s game.
In a game against Kentucky on Saturday, McKinstry turned in three tackles, a half tackle for a loss and a pass breakup. He was helpful in limiting the Kentucky passing game, giving up only two catches on five targets, for a total of 15 yards.
3. Cooper DeJean, Iowa
It was a relatively quiet day for DeJean in an offensively challenged meeting with Rutgers, with the cornerback targeted only twice by the Scarlett Knights. DeJean did not give up a completion and managed to break up a pass.
That’s the kind of production the Hawekeyes have gotten from DeJean all season. He has logged 41 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and seven passes defended on the year.
4. TJ Tampa, Iowa State
The Iowa State cornerback continues to rise up the cornerback rankings thanks to strong play, and that was once again the case this weekend. In a game against BYU, Tampa was targeted five times but gave up only one catch for six yards, while also breaking up a pass.
The veteran Iowa State defender has now accounted for 33 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and seven pass breakups. He’s been remarkably consistent throughout the season, too.
5. Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Burke was back in action after missing a game due to injury the previous week. He was instantly involved, too, with Michigan State throwing at him twice and completing one pass for 20 yards. That wasn’t a bad output in Burke’s return from injury.
The Ohio State cornerback has now missed two games due to injury but has recorded 11 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, an interception and eight pass breakups in just eight games played.
6. Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter has slipped down the list a little bit, even as impressive as his ability to play two ways has been. Hunter was picked on a little bit in a game against Arizona, targeted a whopping 12 times and giving up eight catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Hunter did record one pass breakup in the game, so it wasn’t a complete loss. Still, it wasn’t quite the quality we’re used to seeing from the two-way star, who has racked up 26 tackles, a tackle for a loss, three interceptions and four pass breakups in seven games worth of action.
7. Terrion Arnold, Alabama
Arnold did give up a touchdown pass against Kentucky but was otherwise phenomenal. He had four tackles, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, an interception and a pass breakup in the win over Kentucky, stuffing the stat sheet impressively.
On the season Arnold has now logged 49 tackles, 6.0 tackles for a loss, a sack, a forced fumble, three interceptions, nine pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. He’s as active a cornerback as you’ll find in the country.
8. DJ James, Auburn
James, the former Oregon transfer, has come on really strong in the past two weeks when it comes to getting his hands on passes. After recording two pass breakups two weeks ago against Vanderbilt, he came away with three in a big win over Arkansas on Saturday.
The talented Auburn cornerback has managed to pile up 31 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and seven pass breakups this season. He’s been consistently good in the Auburn secondary.
9. Khyree Jackson, Oregon
Speaking of former transfers, the Alabama transfer has worked his way into the top 10 of the cornerback rankings after several strong performances. Jackson was targeted just one time in a game against USC this weekend, giving up one catch for nine yards.
Through nine games this season, Jackson has recorded 26 tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions and five pass breakups. His production has been spread across several different areas, demonstrating his versatility at the position.
10. Mike Sainristil, Michigan
Sainristil has floated around the bottom of the top 10 in the cornerback rankings in recent weeks, and he holds onto his spot this week following a strong showing against Penn State. He was targeted three times in the contest and gave up only one catch for 13 yards.
Though he doesn’t quite have the breakup numbers other cornerbacks on the list have, Sainristil has demonstrated good tackling ability en route to making 22 stops, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, three interceptions and four pass breakups. He’s been a quality presence in the Michigan secondary.
Top 25 Cornerbacks 11-25
11. Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
12. Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
13. Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
14. Kalen King, Penn State
15. Beanie Bishop, West Virginia
16. Christian Roland-Wallace, USC
17. Sebastian Castro, Iowa
18. Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
19. Elijah Jones, Boston College
20. Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
21. Alijah Huzzie, North Carolina
22. Jahdae Barron, Texas
23. Josh Newton, TCU
24. Willie Roberts, LA Tech
25. Jay’Vion Cole, San Jose State
Some of the standout performances in the group just past the top 10 came from Jones, Mitchell and McGlothern. Each had an interception this past weekend, while Jones managed to pick off two passes. There were also a couple of forgettable performances, like Newton’s day against Texas (giving up 131 yards and a touchdown). In any case, there are plenty of talented cornerbacks and just about any one of them ranked 11-25 could climb up the rankings toward the top 10 in a week’s time.