Top 25 cornerback rankings entering Week 13 of college football
Another weekend of college football has come and gone, giving us even more to evaluate when building our cornerback rankings of the nation’s best.
And we have a change at the top this weekend, following an impressive performance by Alabama‘s Kool-Aid McKinstry against Chattanooga and a shakier outing by Missouri‘s Kris Abrams-Draine.
But what were some of the other changes in our cornerback rankings this week? Let’s dive in and take a look.
1. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
The Alabama star had a quiet outing against Chattanooga, but that’s usually just what you want out of your cornerbacks. If they’re not giving up much you’re not going to hear about them a whole lot.
McKinstry jumps Abrams-Draine for the top spot after recording no statistics against Chattanooga. He now has 24 tackles on the year, with 1.5 tackles for a loss and six pass breakups.
2. Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
Abrams-Draine was targeted quite a bit against Florida and while he didn’t give up many big plays, he did give up a handful of underneath stuff. Abrams-Draine finished giving up six completions on six targets, yielding 33 yards.
On the season, the talented Missouri cornerback has been one of the nation’s best at getting his hands on passes. He has 46 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, four interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
3. TJ Tampa, Iowa State
It wasn’t an overly active week for Tampa in terms of getting his hands on passes, but he still made a nice showing of it. Tampa recorded seven tackles in a win over Texas, contributing by coming up and making stops. He gave up five catches for 68 yards on six targets.
On the season, Tampa now has 40 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups. He tends to make his biggest plays in the biggest moments.
4. Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Burke has battled injuries this season but he’s starting to get healthier, to where he can contribute more in the secondary again. He did just that against Minnesota, having a really strong day in coverage while turning in three tackles.
Burke’s sheer ability has been one of the things that keeps him near the top of this list, because the production on paper doesn’t quite match some of the others high up here. Burke has logged 14 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, an interception and eight pass breakups.
5. Cooper DeJean, Iowa
Iowa had a defensive battle against Rutgers and DeJean was up to the task in the back end of the secondary. He didn’t make a ton of noise on the stat sheet, simply recording one pass breakup on the afternoon.
In addition to serving as a quality cornerback, DeJean also returns punts for Iowa. On the season he has totaled 41 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and seven passes defended.
6. Terrion Arnold, Alabama
On a short afternoon in a blowout against Chattanooga, Arnold was more than up to the task. He recorded three tackles in the game and broke up one pass, which was pretty good production considering he didn’t play most of the second half.
Arnold has been one of the more involved cornerbacks as far as tackling goes. He’s racked up 52 stops on the season, with 6.0 tackles for a loss, a sack, a forced fumble, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
7. Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter has slipped down our cornerback rankings a little bit in recent weeks, as he’s been targeted and picked on a few times. That was the case again on Saturday, as he gave up two catches for 32 yards and a touchdown on three targets. But Hunter also contributes offensively.
Hunter’s defensive numbers are still plenty good, though. On the season he has tallied 27 tackles, 1.0 tackles for a loss, three interceptions and five pass breakups. He has broken up a pass in each of the last three weeks.
8. Khyree Jackson, Oregon
Jackson had a very strong game in a win over Arizona State, holding things down on his side of the field. He gave up two catches on five targets but those two catches went for zero yards. Jackson also had a pass breakup for the second time in the last three games.
Jackson has managed to rack up 28 tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions and six pass brekaups on the season. He’s been very consistent.
9. Mike Sainristil, Michigan
Sainristil had the biggest performance of anyone in the cornerback rankings on Saturday, managing to be a huge difference-maker in a game against Maryland. He picked off two passes and ran one of them back for a touchdown.
The Michigan standout has been a major impact player all season in a secondary that has some other standouts for the Wolverines. He had logged 25 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, five interceptions, four pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
10. Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Mitchell had an excellent game against Bowling Green in the middle of last week on an active evening for him. He was targeted 10 times and gave up just three catches for 10 yards. Meanwhile, he broke up two passes in the game.
Mitchell is putting together a really solid year. He has logged 34 tackles, 1.0 tackle for a loss, an interception, a blocked kick and a whopping 16 pass breakups.
Top 25 Cornerbacks 11-25
11. DJ James, Auburn
12. Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
13. Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
14. Kalen King, Penn State
15. Christian Roland-Wallace, USC
16. Sebastian Castro, Iowa
17. Beanie Bishop, West Virginia
18. Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
19. Elijah Jones, Boston College
20. Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
21. Nate Wiggins, Clemson
22. Alijah Huzzie, North Carolina
23. Josh Newton, TCU
24. Jay’Vion Cole, San Jose State
25. Will Johnson, Michigan
Among the group ranked 11-25 in the cornerback rankings, only Wiggins managed to snag an interception. There were a handful of other players who had strong showings, though. Both Roland-Wallace and Castro broke up multiple passes in their respective games, becoming disruptive forces. Several others broke up one pass. Be sure to stay tuned next week to see if rivalry week can shake up the top of the cornerback rankings even further.