Top 25 cornerback rankings entering Week 6 of college football
Following another round of action in college football, On3 stops to update its top 25 cornerback rankings. There was some movement near the top this week after some standout performances.
Moreover, there are a few players out with injuries who are holding onto their spots but may be challenged for them if others keep showing out.
In any case, let’s dig into the latest at cornerback, where there were some standout performances in the last week. Today we unveil the complete top 25 cornerback rankings heading into Week 6.
1. Travis Hunter, Colorado
Travis Hunter remains out with a lacerated liver, though his recovery seems to be going well by all accounts. In fact, Hunter even took some time recently to hang out with the player that delivered the injurious blow, Henry Blackburn.
The two bonded while shooting a video for Hunter’s YouTube channel, talking about the injury. In any case, when Hunter is healthy he’s easily one of the nation’s best at the position.
2. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
McKinstry has been a star for Alabama in the secondary all year, a veteran presence who isn’t thrown at a whole lot due to his ability. As such, he’s going to have some quiet days from time to time.
That was the case this weekend against Mississippi State, when McKinstry wasn’t heavily involved defensively. He recorded just one pass breakup in the win, his only statistical production of the day.
3. Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
Morrison continues to prove himself one of the better cornerbacks in the class, after having piled up five pass breakups in the previous three weeks. That streak ended on Saturday in a win over Duke, but Morrison was still solid.
He logged three tackles in the win as Notre Dame notched a quality win against a previously unbeaten opponent. Morrison now has 11 tackles, a tackle for a loss, an interception and five pass breakups.
4. Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
For the third straight game Abrams-Draine managed to get his hands on a pass and intercept it, this time in a game against Vanderbilt. His ability to be disruptive in the passing game is becoming more and more a constant as the season goes on.
On the year, Abrams-Draine has 23 tackles, a tackle for a loss, three interceptions and six pass breakups. He’s also become a real leader for the Tigers in the secondary with his play.
5. Cooper DeJean, Iowa
A constant in our top 10 cornerback rankings, DeJean finally recorded his first interception of the season in the fifth game. He plucked a pass away from Michigan State to help Iowa record a 26-16 win.
On the season, DeJean has been a tackling a machine. He has 30 tackles already through five games, while recording a half tackle for a loss, an interception and two passes defended.
6. Mike Sainristil, Michigan
Sainristil maintains his place in the rankings based on his body of work throughout the season so far. He had a very quiet game against Nebraska, failing to record any statistical production in the affair.
But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a very effective cornerback. Sainristil has totaled 11 tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack, two interceptions and a pass breakup so far this season. That’s plenty enough production to make up for a quieter day.
7. Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Burke was off this week after putting together a strong showing in the game of the week against Notre Dame two weeks ago. He was a lockdown presence against the Fighting Irish, showing the ability to stick with his men and yield nothing.
On the season, Burke has had relatively scant statistical production. But teams most just aren’t going his way. He has recorded two tackles, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, an interception and four pass breakups.
8. Kalen King, Penn State
King is another one of those cornerbacks who doesn’t always put up big numbers because teams simply don’t test him a whole lot. That was the case again against Northwestern this week, when he recorded just two tackles.
For the year, King has tallied 11 tackles and a pass breakup. That’s not as much production as others on these cornerback rankings, but he’s got the raw skill to be deserving of a top-10 spot here.
9. DJ James, Auburn
Auburn’s secondary had a rough go of it against Georgia and Carson Beck, giving up a good bit of yardage and some key plays. James wasn’t personally victimized a ton, but he didn’t make a huge difference in the game either.
James finished the game with one tackle and a tackle for a loss, but failed to make any other statistical impact. On the season he has 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, an interception and two pass breakups.
10. Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
For the third straight week, McGlothern managed to get his hand on a pass to break it up, though he didn’t have an interception this week. In a game against Texas A&M he tallied two tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass defended.
In five games this year, McGlothern has nine tackles, two tackles for a loss, two interceptions, a forced fumble and four passes defended. He rounds out the top 10 of our cornerback rankings.
Top 25 Cornerbacks 11-25
11. TJ Tampa, Iowa State
12. Khyree Jackson, Oregon
13. Willie Roberts, LA Tech
14. Jahdae Barron, Texas
15. Jaylin Davies, UCLA
16. Micah Abraham, Marshall
17. Josh Newton, TCU
18. Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
19. Kamal Hadden, Tennessee
20. Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
21. Terrion Arnold, Alabama
22. Nate Wiggins, Clemson
23. Christian Roland-Wallace, USC
24. Malik Fleming, Houston
25. Fentrell Cypress, Florida State
There were a handful of other players who could have made a case to push into the top 10 of the cornerback rankings this week but narrowly missed out. Both Tampa and Roberts recorded multiple pass breakups over the weekend, while Hadden and Roland-Wallace recorded interceptions. Hadden returned his for a touchdown. Stay tuned next week when we update our top 225 cornerback rankings following all of the Week 6 action.