Who are the best cornerbacks coming into the 2019 college football season? Here are the 2019 CFN All-America cornerbacks and 30 top players.
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– CFN Preview 2019: All 130 Team Previews
2019 CFN Preseason All-America Cornerbacks
Who are the best cornerbacks coming into the 2019 college football season? Based on projections for this year – and not necessarily based on pro talent and potential ….
Honorable Mention All-American Cornerbacks
30. Rojesterman Farris, Sr. Hawaii
Lightning fast, the 6-1, 190-pound veteran can fly, and he can attack the ball as the best player in what should be an improved Rainbow Warrior secondary. He made 45 tackles with an interceptions and 11 broken up passes. The picks will start coming.
– 2019 Hawaii Preview
29. AJ Green, Sr. Oklahoma State
He’s a 6-1, 190-pound fighter of a corner who’s one of the team’s smartest and most reliable defender. He only picked off one pass, but he busted up 11 tackles and was tough enough to get in o 49 stops in an All-Big 12 season.
– 2019 Oklahoma State Preview
28. Darnay Holmes, Jr. UCLA
The former superstar recruit has grown into a good all-around defender to work the secondary around, the 5-10, 198-pounder came up with three picks and 11 broken up passes, and he can hit, too, with 48 stops. Ultra-quick, he’ll be used as a kick returner, too.
– 2019 UCLA Preview
27. Marco Wilson, Soph. Florida
There’s no questioning the talent and ability, but he has to stay in one piece. He suffered a knee injury in high school, and was knocked out of his freshman season with another torn ACL. On the plus side, the 6-0, 190-pounder suffered the injury early in the year – he should be 100% ready to roll by the start of the season.
– 2019 Florida Preview
26. Mike Hampton, Jr. USF
He bulked up a bit to get to 180 pounds on this 6-1 frame, but he should still be able to move and he’s growing into a fantastic pro prospect. Great in the open field, he finished last season with 43 tackles with two picks and 16 broken up passes.
– 2019 USF Preview
25. Jeffrey Okudah, Jr. Ohio State
The five-star talent is there to make the NFL types drool, and now the stats have to come. He’s a smart, tough 6-1, 200-pounder who came up with 32 tackles and broke up eight passes, but he has yet to pick off a pass in his first two seasons. They’re coming.
– 2019 Ohio State Preview
24. Parnell Motley, Sr. Oklahoma
The OU defense might have had problems, but the 6-0, 178-pound Motley has been a good one over the last two seasons with five picks and 20 broken up passes over the span. Best of all, he’ll come up and tackle with 63 stops two years in a row.
– 2019 Oklahoma Preview
23. Thomas Graham, Jr. Oregon
A solid and dependable corner over the last two seasons, he’s playing up to his recruiting hype with 118 tackles in his first two seasons and with three picks in each year. Last season the 5-11, 191-pounder was a broken up pass machine, busting 21 throws in his all-star campaign.
– 2019 Oregon Preview
22. Jaylon Johnson, Jr. Utah
The All-Pac-12 performer came up with a brilliant sophomore season, making 41 tackles with four picks, taking one for a game-changing 100-yard score against Stanford. there weren’t a whole lot of broken up passes, but he’s a lock-down corner who can erase his man.
– 2019 Utah Preview
21. Asante Samuel, Soph. Florida State
The son of the former NFL star of the same name, he was supposed to be an elite player right away, and he was. He’s not huge at 5-10 and 178 pounds, but he was able to hold up when picked on with nine broken up passes and 17 tackles in a true freshman season. And now he gets to start on a regular basis.
– 2019 Florida State Preview
20. Amik Robertson, Jr. Louisiana Tech
The smallish 5-9, 180-pounder might not be huge, but he can ball out, starting his career with an excellent five-pick campaign with 62 tackles, and followed it up with an all-star season with 61 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four picks and 12 broken up passes.
– 2019 Louisiana Tech Preview
19. Jeff Gladney, Sr. TCU
The tough guy corner for the Horned Frogs who holds up well in the high-powered Big 12, the 6-0, 183-pounder is a true lockdown defender who can hit, coming up with 115 tackles in his first three years with 28 broken up passes, 15 of them coming last year.
– 2019 TCU Preview
18. Tre Swilling, Soph. Georgia Tech
The 6-0, 200-pound star prospect had a fantastic redshirt freshman season with 24 tackles with six broken up passes and an interception, and now he’s about to shine under the new coaching staff and in the new system. With size, athleticism, and the pedigree of being Pat Swilling’s son, he’s about to bust out.
– 2019 Georgia Tech Preview
17. Nevelle Clarke, Sr. UCF
The 6-1, 187-pound all-star in the secondary is back to once again be among the best defenders in the American Athletic Conference. He followed up a solid sophomore season with a terrific 2018 with 46 tackles with two interceptions and 13 broken up passes.
– 2019 UCF Preview
16. Mark Gilbert, Jr. Duke
Back after suffering a dislocated hip early last season, the 6-1, 175-pounder has to find his sophomore form again after dominating with six picks, 15 broken up passes, and 35 tackles in an all-star season. He’s got a great nose for the ball and he’s a lockdown coverman, but he has to be 100%.
– 2019 Duke Preview
15. Trajan Bandy, Jr. Miami
A terrific part of the puzzle over his first two seasons, he followed up a 25-tackle, seven broken-up-pass freshman season with 36 tackles, three sacks, 11 broken up passes and 4.5 tackles for loss as he filled the state sheet as a sophomore. He’s not all that big at 5-9 and 188 pounds, but he attacks the play.
– 2019 Miami Preview
14. Adrian Frye, Soph. Texas Tech
The Texas Tech defense might not have been anything special, but it found a new star after Frye’s freshman season. The 6-1, 190-pounder speedster held up well under the pressure with five interceptions, 18 broken up passes and 21 tackles.
– 2019 Texas Tech Preview
13. Patrick Surtain, Soph. Alabama
The prototype, the 6-2, 203-pounder was a great get for the program last year – even among the normally amazing group of Alabama recruits – and he stepped and produced as a true freshman, coming up with 37 tackles with an interception and seven broken up passes. Now he gets to have a bigger role.
– 2019 Alabama Preview
12. Damon Arnette, Sr. Ohio State
The veteran leader of the young and talented secondary, the 6-0, 195-pounder has been a good all-around producer over the last three seasons, following up a 44-tackle 2017 with 40 stops last season with an interception. He only has four career interceptions with 14 broken up passes over the last two seasons, but he’s a fast pro prospect with all the necessary tools.
– 2019 Ohio State Preview
11. Lavert Hill, Sr. Michigan
The best corner on a team loaded with a ton of defensive talent, the 5-11, 181-pounder isn’t a statistical star – he only came up with 14 tackles with one interception and six broken up passes – but that’s partly because teams stayed away from his side. He picked off two throws and broke up nine as a sophomore.
– 2019 Michigan Preview
10. Trevon Diggs, Sr. Alabama
Patrick Surtain might be the most talented corner on the roster, but the 6-2, 207-pound Diggs isn’t that far off, if at all, when it comes to size, speed and skills. He has to come back healthy from a foot injury that cost him most of last year, but he was great when he got his chances with 20 tackles with an interception and seven broken up passes in his six games of work.
– 2019 Alabama Preview
9. Cameron Dantzler, Jr. Mississippi State
Sort of lost a bit in the limelight on a phenomenal defense, the 6-2, 185-pounder turned in an all-star season as a key backstop in a fantastic secondary. He grew into the starting job last season with 11 broken up passes, two picks and 43 tackles, and now he’s going to be avoided by quarterbacks as much as possible.
– 2019 Mississippi State Preview
8. Kindle Vildor, Sr. Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern might be known for its fun option offense, but its best player and top NFL prospect is a 5-11, 190-pound do-it-all corner coming off a massive season. He was great as a sophomore with 21 tackles with three interceptions and ten broken up passes, and he dominated as a junior with 42 tackles with four interceptions and 15 broken up throws.
– 2019 Georgia Southern Preview
7. Paulson Adebo, Jr. Stanford
A rising pro prospect who turned into a playmaking machine, the 6-1, 189-pounder picked off four passes, was in on 64 tackles, and broke up a whopping 24 passes. He was challenged time and again, but he found the ball as well as the big plays against the run.
– 2019 Stanford Preview
NEXT: 2019 Preseason 1st, 2nd, 3rd Team All-America Cornerbacks
CFN Preseason Third Team All-America Cornerbacks
6. CJ Henderson, Jr. Florida
It’s not like he can’t tackle – coming up with 60 in his first two seasons – but that’s not why he’s a next-level talent. The 6-1, 191-pounder is long, fast, and has a nose for the ball with six interceptions – taking two for scores – and 11 broken up passes in his career. He’s also using his speed to get into the backfield a bit more, too, coming up with three sacks last season.
– 2019 Florida Preview
5. Stanford Samuels, Jr. Florida State
Yet another very big, very talented Florida State defensive back who’ll soon be a star at the next level, the 6-2, 185-pound playmaker showed off his elite talent from the start with two picks and five broken up passes as a freshman, and followed it up with a fantastic 58-tackle, four interception season. With Samuels working along with Asante Samuel, FSU lis loaded at corner.
– 2019 Florida State Preview
CFN Preseason Second Team All-America Cornerbacks
4. AJ Terrell, Jr. Clemson
The 6-2, 190-pounder showed plenty of promise as a freshman – coming up with 15 tackles with an interception and seven broken up passes – and turned into an all-star part of the back seven as a sophomore. He started every game on the way to the national title, making 54 tackles with three interceptions, highlighted by his 44-yard pick six against the Crimson Tide.
– 2019 Clemson Preview
3. Essang Bassey, Sr. Wake Forest
One of the nation’s best all around corners over the last two seasons, the 5-10, 185-pounder followed up his 75-tackle, three-interception all-star sophomore season with 74-tackle, one-pick junior campaign. A playmaker, he came up with a pick six two years ago, and fumble return for a touchdown last season, and with 31 broken up passes over the last two years.
– 2019 Wake Forest Preview
CFN Preseason First Team All-America Cornerbacks
2. Kristian Fulton, Sr. LSU
There are a whole lot of amazing defensive talents on LSU this season, and the 6-0, 192-pound Fulton isn’t even the best player in the defensive backfield – that’s safety Grant Delpit – but the top corner will stand out.
He had a rough run after being suspended for the 2017 season following a drug suspension, ad he came back with a terrific year making 25 tackles with an interception and nine broken up passes before getting knocked out with a foot injury. If everything goes as expected, he’s a top 20 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
– 2019 LSU Preview
1. Bryce Hall, Sr. Virginia
It was a bit of a shocker when the star pro prospect announced he was returning for his senior year, and Virginia gets back a special talent at corner. At 6-1 and 200 pounds, he has ideal size as a physical corner for potentially as a safety, making 134 career tackles – 62 last season – with a ridiculous 40 broken up passes in his three seasons.
– 2019 Virginia Preview
