Home » Top 25 College Football Cornerbacks

Top 25 College Football Cornerbacks

Joe DiTullio

Publish Date: August 11, 2023

The college football season is approaching. There is always debate over ranking the best players in the sport. Here are the top 25 college football cornerbacks heading into the 2023 season.

Note: While projection of what a player can be is taken into account, most rankings are from what has been seen on the field so far. These are not NFL Draft rankings, but rather focus on the best players in college football.

Top College Football Cornerbacks

25-21

25. Teldrick Ross, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Ross led the country with 20 passes defended and also had two interceptions. He may play in a smaller conference, but his ball production makes him worthy of this list.

24. Nate Wiggins, Clemson Tigers

Clemson has received some flack for their secondary play over the last few seasons. Wiggins was young and getting reps last season. He notched 13 passes defended and one interception.

23. Elijah Jones, Boston College Eagles

Jones had plenty of ball production last season to help him make this list. He finished with 13 passes defended and two interceptions.

22. Storm Duck, Louisville Cardinals

Duck spent four seasons at North Carolina where he had five interceptions and 17 passes defended. He transferred to Penn State this offseason, then quickly moved over to Louisville.

21. Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas did not have good secondary play last season, but McGlothern was a bright spot. He had 10 passes defended and four interceptions.

20-16

20. Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn Tigers

Pritchett made last year’s list and then had another solid season with eight passes defended. His veteran leadership will help Auburn tremendously.

19. Max Melton, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers has a great player in Melton, who had two interceptions and 10 passes defended last season. He will get a chance to go up against plenty of talented receivers in the Big Ten again this season.

18. Jason Marshall, Florida Gators

Marshall had a good freshman season, then followed that up with one interception and eight passes defended last season.

17. DJ James, Auburn

James transferred from Oregon to Auburn before last season. He had a good first season with the TIgers with one interception and eight passes defended.

16. Duce Chestnut, LSU Tigers

In two seasons at Syracuse, Chestnut had four interceptions and nine passes defended. He transferred to LSU before the 2023 season and we’ll play a big part of the team as they try to defend their SEC West title.

15-11

15. Cam Hart, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Hart drops a little bit on this list from last year, but is still a good corner. He had four passes defended last season and is a big part of a good Notre Dame secondary.

14. Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri Tigers

After a solid 2021 season that saw him register three interceptions and seven passes defended, Abrams-Draine proved his worth again in 2022. He finished the season with 14 passes defended.

13. T.J. Tampa, Iowa State Cyclones

Tampa contributed in his first two seasons, but really stepped things up in 2022. He had nine passes defended and one interception.

12. Travis Hunter, Colorado Buffaloes

Hunter was one of the top players in the 2021 recruiting class and he followed Deion Sanders to Jackson State. After one season there, he is transferring to Colorado. The talent is there and now he is going to get a chance to show what he can do against FBS competition.

11. Cobee Bryant, Kansas Jayhawks

While Bryant didn’t get a lot of the headlines surrounding the Jayhawks improving last season, he was a big part of it. He had three interceptions and nine passes defended with a chance to build on that.

10-6

10. Kamari Lassiter, Georgia Bulldogs

Lassiter saw limited playing time in 2021, then stepped into a starting role in 2022. He had just four passes defended last year, but his impact is more than what shows up in the box score.

9. Aydan White, NC State Wolfpack

White showed his good ball skills with four interceptions and nine passes defended. The Preseason All-ACC selection by TGH has a big season ahead.

8. Will Johnson, Michigan Wolverines

Johnson had a great true freshman season for Michigan last year. Following a season where he had three interceptions and three passes defended, Johnson will have a bigger impact this season.

7. Fentrell Cypress, Florida State Seminoles

Florida State hit the transfer portal hard this offseason and one of their best pickups was Cypress. At Virginia last season, he had 14 passes defended.

6. Josh Newton, TCU Horned Frogs

Newton started his career at ULM before transferring to TCU for last season. In his first season at TCU, he helped the Horned Frogs make the National Championship Game with three interceptions and 12 passes defended.

5-1

5. Kalen King, Penn State Nittany Lions

After having five passes defended in 2021, King was one of the top in the country last season with 18. There are big expectations for Penn State this season and King can help them reach their goals.

4. Cooper DeJean, Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa just had Riley Moss selected in the 2023 NFL Draft and now has another corner of that talent level. DeJean had five interceptions, eight passes defended and three touchdowns last season.

3. Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Morrison had four interceptions and six passes defended last season. He was just a freshman and now can show his growth from season to season.

2. Denzel Burke, Ohio State Buckeyes

As a freshman in 2021, Burke had 12 passes defended and an interception. Although his ball production dipped to just five passes defended, he still played well in 2022.

1. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama Crimson Tide

McKinstry doesn’t just have one of the coolest names in the sport, he plays really well too. He had 15 passes defended and one interception last season and is now an elite cornerback.