College football’s 20 best cornerbacks of 2025
Illinois cornerback Xavier Scott (14) tackles Nebraska running back Donte Dowdell (23) during the second quarter Friday September 21, 2024 at Memorial Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
They are the most trusted defenders on defense.
Corners are put out on an island, and have the sole responsibility of covering the opposing team’s top receiver. Some are aggressive, with speed and instincts to shutdown an entire side of the field. Quarterbacks are even apprehensive about throwing the ball or targeting their direction.
These 20 ballhawks have showed why they’re elite in both man-to-man, and zone coverage. Now they’re looking to pick up from where they left off last season.
20. Al’zillion Hamilton, Fresno State: The California native broke up 13 passes last season, which tied for 10th in the FBS. Hamilton even racked up 52 tackles, and earned Honorable Mention All-MWC honors. He tallied six tackles, including five solo and an interception in the victory at New Mexico. Hamilton also generated six stops apiece against UNLV, and Hawaii. The former three-star prospect had three solo tackles, and picked off a pass in the win against San Jose State. Hamilton posted five solo stops against Colorado State. His 10 tackles, including seven solo at UCLA were all season-highs. Hamilton is one of the best lockdown corners in the Group of Five, and will show it again this fall.
19. Collin Wright, Stanford: The former three-star prospect put together a solid season during Stanford’s first year in the ACC. Wright is physical enough to make plays against the run, and a ballhawk out in coverage. He got off to a hot start with eight tackles, including five solo in the opener against TCU. Wright made two stops, and picked off a pass in the victory over Cal-Poly. The 6-foot, 190-pounder recorded six solo tackles, and hauled in an interception at Clemson. Wright had five tackles apiece against Wake Forest, and California. The Texas native left a lasting impression with six stops, including five solo, and an interception in the season finale at San Jose State. He’s due for an All-ACC campaign.
18. Josh Moten, Southern Miss: The former four-star prospect shined at Marshall last season, and tied for third in the FBS in interceptions per game. Moten showed he’s a tough ballhawk, and earned Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt. He tallied five tackles, and intercepted Will Howard at Ohio State. Moten posted five stops, including four solo at Georgia Southern. His six tackles in the win over Georgia State were a season-high. Moten recorded five stops, including four solo, and an interception at Old Dominion. The Maryland native also picked off a pass in victories over Louisiana-Monroe, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana. Moten even has 68 tackles over the past two seasons.
17. Malcolm Hartzog, Nebraska: The 21-year old led the Blackshirts in interceptions, and finished fifth on the Huskers in tackles last year. Hartzog started fast out of the gates with five solo tackles, and an interception in the opener against UTEP. He also recorded five tackles apiece against Wisconsin and Iowa. His six stops at USC, were a season-high. Hartzog posted three tackles, and hauled in an interception at Indiana. The following week at Ohio State he made two stops, and picked off Will Howard. Hartzog also had an interception in the win over Northern Illinois. Not to mention he generated four solo tackles in the victory at Purdue, plus four stops apiece against Illinois and Rutgers.
16. Brian Nelson, NC State: The former three-star prospect was a very productive ballhawk at North Texas last season, and even racked up 53 tackles. Nelson generated eight stops, including seven solo, and hauled in an interception at Texas Tech. He made nine solo tackles, and picked off a pass at UTSA. Nelson also posted nine stops against Tulane. The Texas native tallied six tackles, and an interception at Florida Atlantic. Nelson left a lasting impression after he picked off his fourth pass of the year in the regular season finale win at Temple. The 6-foot, 191-pounder brings valuable experience, and production to the Wolfpack’s secondary, and should thrive in the ACC.
15. Tacario Davis, Washington: Although the Californian had no interceptions at Arizona last season, he was one of 15 Thorpe Award Semifinalists. Davis ranked third on the Wildcats in solo tackles, and earned second-team, All-Big 12 honors. His 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame gives him range when it comes to making plays on the ball, and creating mismatches out in coverage. Davis got off to a fast start, and tallied seven tackles, including two solo in the opening victory over New Mexico. He made seven solo stops in the win at Utah. Davis generated four tackles, including three solo against Texas Tech. The 20-year old also had four tackles apiece against UCF, West Virginia and Arizona State.
14. A.J. Harris, Penn State: The former five-star prospect started 15 games for the Nittany Lions last season. Harris racked up 48 tackles, and earned third-team, All-Big Ten honors for his heroics on the gridiron. He posted four tackles, and picked off Luke Altmyer in the victory over Illinois. Harris also had four tackles apiece against Bowling Green, and Boise State. The Alabama native tallied five stops apiece, including four solo win wins over UCLA and Minnesota. His seven tackles, including five slo in the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon were season-highs. With Kevin Winston and Jaylen Reed in the NFL now, look for Harris to expand his role, and be the general of the secondary.
13. Ethan O’Connor, Miami: The redshirt sophomore was a ballhawk, and very consistent in Washington State’s secondary last season. O’Connor tallied three tackles, and intercepted a pass in the victory over Texas Tech. The following week he made five stops, including four solo in the win at Washington. The next game against San Jose State, O’Connor posted four tackles, and hauled in an interception. Not to mention he generated two solo tackles, and returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown at Fresno State. O’Connor also picked off a pass, and made three stops at Oregon state. The Californian brings credibility to the Hurricanes’ secondary, and will have an instant impact.
12. Avery Smith, Toledo: The Georgia native is a converted quarterback, who had a breakout season in 2024. Smith racked up 58 tackles, and broke up 14 passes, which ranked fifth in the FBS. He even capped off the year with second-team, All-MAC honors. Smith posted eight tackles, including four solo against Massachusetts. The former three-star prospect generated five stops, and picked off a pass in the win at Mississippi State. Smith made six tackles, including five solo at Northern Illinois. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder also tallied five solo stops against Bowling Green. Smith had an interception against Central Michigan. His seven solo tackles in the bowl victory over Pittsburgh were season-highs.
11. DJ Harvey, USC: The redshirt senior put together a stellar campaign at San Jose State last year. After all, Smith tallied 58 tackles, hauled in four interceptions and earned second-team, All-MWC honors. He had two solo tackles, and picked off a pass at Washington State. His 10 stops against Nevada were a season-high. The Californian posted seven tackles, an interception and returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown at Colorado State. Harvey recorded seven stops, including five solo, and returned an interceptions 16 yards for a touchdown. The former four-star prospect generated eight tackles against Boise State. Harvey made six solo stops, and an interception in the win over Stanford.
10. Jontez Williams, Iowa State: The former three-star prospect started 12 games last season, and earned second-team, All-Big 12 honors. Williams got off to a hot start with a season-high, 11 tackles, including six solo in the opener against North Dakota. He hauled in an interception at Houston. The following week Williams picked off another pass, and made four tackles against Baylor. The next game at West Virginia Williams tallied six stops, and an interception. The Florida native concluded four-straight weeks with an interception against UCF. Williams left a lasting impression with eight stops in the bowl win over Miami. He’s the general of the secondary with Darian Porter now in the NFL.
9. Will Lee, Texas A&M: The former juco broke up 10 passes in 2024, and capped off the year with second-team, All-SEC honors. Lee even posted 42 tackles in 2023 at Kansas State. He got off to a hot start last year with nine tackles, including eight solo in the opener against Notre Dame. The following week he picked off a pass in the first half against McNeese State. Lee generated six stops, including five solo in the victory over Bowling Green. The St. Louis native made six solo stops in the win at Mississippi State. Lee put together a magnificent outing in the regular season finale against rival Texas, with seven tackles, including six solo and returned an interception 93 yards for a touchdown.
8. Avieon Terrell, Clemson: The 20-year old started 14 games, made 58 tackles, and broke up 12 passes for the ACC Champs last season. Terrell also capped off the year with second-team, All-ACC honors. He posted five solo tackles in the opener at Georgia. Terrell generated six tackles, and a sack against Virginia. The Atlanta native also made six stops, and picked off a pass in the victory at Florida State. Terrell even hauled in an interception against Stanford. His nine solo tackles in the win over SMU in the ACC Championship Game were a season-high. Terrell left a lasting impression with six tackles, including five solo in the Playoffs at Texas. With 19 career starts, Terrell is a very experienced corner.
7. Theran Johnson, Oregon: The redshirt senior is coming off a brilliant campaign at Northwestern, in which he piled up 53 tackles, and broke up 10 passes. Johnson also capped off the year with second-team, All-Big Ten honors. He posted a season-high, seven tackles, including six solo in the win over Purdue. Johnson also made six tackles apiece against Miami (Ohio), Wisconsin and Michigan. The former three-star prospect tallied five stops, including four solo and picked off a pass against Duke. Johnson also generated five tackles apiece against Indiana and Maryland. The Indianapolis native even recorded three stops, and returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown at Iowa.
6. Mansoor Delane, LSU: The former three-star prospect is extremely productive. Delane has started 25 games over the past two seasons at Virginia Tech. He even racked up 108 tackles, and five interceptions during that span. Not to mention Delane earned third-team, All-ACC honors in 2024. The Maryland native posted five tackles apiece, including four solo against Rutgers and Clemson. Delane tallied seven stops at Miami and eight against Georgia Tech. His nine tackles in the victory over Boston College were a season-high. Delane recorded six stops, and picked off a pass at Syracuse. The 6-foot-1, 191-pounder had an interception in wins over Syracuse, Virginia, Marshall and Old Dominion.
5. DJ McKinney, Colorado: The Texas native started 13 games last season, and generated a jaw-dropping, 62 tackles. McKinney even had 38 tackles at Oklahoma State in 2023. He made seven stops, including four solo at Colorado State. His eight tackles against Kansas State were a season-high. McKinney tallied three tackles, and picked off a pass in the victory over Utah. The former three-star prospect returned an interception 13 yards for a touchdown in the win over Oklahoma State on Senior Day. McKinney also had an interception in the bowl game against BYU. With Travis Hunter and Shilo Sanders now in the NFL, McKinney is going to be the general of the Buffaloes’ secondary.
4. Jermod McCoy, Tennessee: The 19-year old is a ballhawk in the Volunteers’ secondary, who put together a stellar campaign last year. McCoy made 44 tackles, broke up nine passes and capped off last season with first-team, AP All-SEC honors. He tallied three solo tackles, and hauled in an interception in the win at Oklahoma. McCoy recorded a season-high, eight tackles, and picked off a pass in the victory over Alabama. Not to mention McCoy made seven stops against Mississippi State. The Texas native generated six tackles, including four solo and an interception at Vanderbilt. McCoy even posted five tackles apiece at Arkansas, and in the first round of the Playoffs at Ohio State.
3. D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana: The Miami native started 12 games last season, racked up 57 tackles and earned first-team, All-Big Ten honors. Ponds got off to a fast start with sx tackles in the opener against Florida International. His 10 tackles, including seven solo against Maryland were season-highs. Ponds posted seven stops, including six solo in the victory over Nebraska. The former three-star prospect made five tackles, and picked off two passes, including one he returned 67 yards for a touchdown in the win over Washington. He recorded six stops, including four solo at Ohio State. Ponds left a lasting impression with an interception at Notre Dame in the first round of the Playoffs.
2. Chandler Rivers, Duke: The 21-year old is one of the most productive corners in the FBS. After all, Rivers has racked up 164 tackles, including 12.5 for loss, and five interceptions over the past three seasons with the Blue Devils. He even started every game for the past two years, and capped off 2024 with first-team, All-ACC honors. Rivers returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown against Florida State. The former three-star prospect also picked off a pass, and tallied six tackles against SMU. Rivers posted four stops, including three solo and an interception at Miami. Not to mention his nine tackles, including five solo and a sack in the win over Virginia Tech were all season-highs.
1. Xavier Scott, Illinois: The 22-year old is extremely productive, with 106 tackles, and six interceptions over the past two years. Scott even broke up 17 passes during that span. He started 13 games last season, was one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award and earned first-team, All-Big Ten honors. He’s versatile, and always around the ball. Scott tallied eight solo tackles, a sack and two interceptions, including one he returned 30 yards for a touchdown in the win over Kansas. The former three-star prospect also picked off a pass in victories over Central Michigan and and Northwestern. Not to mention Scott generated five solo stops apiece at Nebraska and Oregon.
Honorable Mention
Jeremiah Wilson, Florida State: The former three-star prospect started the final eight games for Houston last season. Wilson picked off two passes, including one he returned 41 yards for a touchdown against Baylor. He also picked off a pass, and made five stops, including four solo in the victory over Kansas State.
Matthew McDoom, Cincinnati: The Florida native ranked ninth nationally in passes defended, and earned first-team, All-Sun Belt honors at Coastal Carolina in 2024. McDoom picked off two passes against Georgia State. He also had an interception against Jacksonville State, and made 11 tackles against Georgia Southern.
