Tag: cornerbacks

Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon voted No. 9 in NFL

Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon voted No. 9 in NFL

The Seattle Seahawks clearly have a rising star in their secondary. From the moment the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NFL draft took the field, it became immediately evident he was a difference maker on Seattle’s defense. The former Illinois standout parlayed his strong rookie season into his first Pro Bowl nod last year, and the national recognition is not ending there.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler held his fifth annual ranking of players by position group, by surveying scouts, executives and coaches around the league. Seattle’s soon-to-be second year stud, Witherspoon, cracked into the top 10 list at No. 9 overall. The list goes as follows:

  1. Pat Surtain II – Denver Broncos
  2. Denzel Ward – Cleveland Browns
  3. Sauce Gardner – New York Jets
  4. L’Jarius Sneed – Tennessee Titans
  5. Jalen Ramsey – Miami Dolphins
  6. Trent McDuffie – Kansas City Chiefs
  7. Jaire Alexander – Green Bay Packers
  8. Jaylon Johnson – Chicago Bears
  9. Devon Witherspoon – Seattle Seahawks
  10. Derek Stingkley Jr. – Houston Texans

Witherspoon received high praise from an unnamed AFC scout, who called him a “baller,” and the “most physical corner in the NFL.” 

During his rookie campaign, Witherspoon made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks and pass catchers. He recorded 79 total tackles, defended 16 passes, logged three sacks, and forced a fumble, while starting 13 out of 14 games played. Of course, no play was bigger or more memorable for Witherspoon than his 97-yard pick-six on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants.

Going into the 2024 season, one could make the claim Witherspoon is arguably the best defensive player currently on Seattle’s defense. He will have plenty of opportunities to make this case, as well as potentially increase his standings in Fowler’s poll for next summer.

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Paulson Adebo missed the cut for ESPN’s top corners list, but Marshon Lattimore didn’t

Paulson Adebo missed the cut for ESPN’s list of the top cornerbacks, but Marshon Lattimore still has a strong reputation despite missing time with injuries:

Who are the best cornerbacks in the NFL? ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler set out to answer that by polling nearly 80 team executives, coaches, and scouts to rank their top 10 players at the position. And while New Orleans Saints corner Paulson Adebo didn’t make the list, his teammate Marshon Lattimore was included as an honorary mention.

Here’s what Fowler’s sources told him about Lattimore:

Across 90 games, Lattimore has recorded 66 pass breakups, 15 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles. “Still love the physicality and the man-coverage traits but he’s no longer an ascending player and he’s missed a lot of time in recent years,” an NFL personnel evaluator said.

A couple of freak accidents forced Lattimore to miss a lot of time — he suffered a lacerated kidney in 2022 and an injured ankle in 2023 that sidelined him for 17 games over the last two years. But he’s still a highly respected talent. There aren’t many corners with his combination of football acumen, overall athleticism, and playmaking ability.

Still, it’s a little surprising to see Adebo not receive a single vote. He was arguably the Saints’ best defensive back last season, having recovered well from a 2022 campaign derailed by injuries and penalties. He tied for the team lead with four interceptions, and his 18 passes defensed were most on the team by a healthy margin. Adebo also forced a pair of fumbles with two recoveries. He’s peaking at the right time with free agency coming up in 2025.

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Wisconsin top class of 2025 CB target hints at flipping commitment from SMU

Wisconsin top class of 2025 CB target hints at flipping commitment from SMU

Class of 2025 cornerback Zay Gentry hinted at flipping his commitment from SMU to Wisconsin in his recent Instagram story on Tuesday.

Gentry reposted the graphic of fellow 2025 CB Jahmare Washington committing to Wisconsin back in early June. It could be smoke and mirrors, or it could be a further indication that Gentry could be following suit in the next few weeks.

Gentry, an Anna, Texas product, committed to SMU back in May — but still took an official visit to Wisconsin the weekend of May 31.

Wisconsin recently received a pair of predictions from On3 national insider Steve Wiltfong and SMU insider Billy Embody to flip the three-star defensive back from SMU. On3’s current recruiting prediction machine has the Badgers as a heavy favorite (91.9%) to land the rising high school senior.

Gentry is ranked as 247Sports’ No. 539 player in the class of 2025, No. 45 cornerback and No. 84 recruit from his home state of Texas. He would be the Badgers No. 23 overall commitment in the class and third cornerback. Washington and three-star Jaimier Scott round out that cornerback list.

The possible addition of Gentry would assuredly raise Wisconsin’s class of 2025 national ranking up from its current place at No. 23 in the nation.

Wisconsin star one of PFF’s top cornerbacks in college football entering 2024

Wisconsin star one of PFF’s top cornerbacks in college football entering 2024

Wisconsin star safety Ricardo Hallman was listed as an ‘honorable mention’ inclusion in ProFootballFocus’ recent ranking of the top 10 cornerbacks in college football entering 2024.

The list included Michigan’s Will Johnson, Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison, Iowa’s Sebastian Castro, Arizona’s Tacario Davis, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Oregon’s Jabbar Muhammad, Ohio State’s Denzel Burke, Virginia Tech’s Dorian Strong, Louisville’s Quincy Riley, and Kansas’ Cobee Bryant.

Hallman, who is set to lead Wisconsin’s secondary alongside talented safety Hunter Wohler, enters the 2024 season after earning AP Third Team All-American and All-Big Ten third-team honors in 2023.

The 5-foot-10 cornerback recorded seven interceptions in 2023, which tied for the most among NCAA Division I athletes. Those seven INTs were the most for a Badger DB since Jamar Fletcher’s seven-interception season in 2000.

Two of Hallman’s most iconic sequences of 2023 arrived when he snagged a 95-yard pick-six against Rutgers on Oct. 7 and when hauled in an interception in UW’s Oct. 28 primetime matchup against No. 3 Ohio State.

With a flair for the spectacular, Hallman will aim to showcase his skills on a national stage against some of the best teams in college football including Penn State, Alabama and Oregon in 2024.

Wisconsin football loses class of 2025 CB target to rival Iowa

Wisconsin football loses class of 2025 CB target to rival Iowa

Wisconsin football class of 2025 cornerback target Charles Bell announced his commitment to Iowa on Monday.

Bell became the latest Wisconsin class of 2025 target to commit elsewhere in June, joining three-star recruits including DL Abu Tarawallie, WR Vernon Allen III, iOL N’Kye Wynn and RB Bo Jackson.

Like other 2025 prospects, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound corner recently included Wisconsin among his top schools. Minnesota, Notre Dame, Boston College, Penn State, Tennessee, Iowa, Rutgers and NC State rounded out that group.

The Mansfield High School product also chose Iowa over other offers including Connecticut, Temple, Maryland, Morgan State and Bowling Green.

Bell is 247Sports’ No. 1,113-ranked player in the class of 2025, No. 95 cornerback and No. 12 recruit from his home state of Massachusetts. He was originally scheduled to visit the Badgers back on June 14 though did not take the visit.

The news arrives the same day as Wisconsin’s latest three-star CB commit Rukeem Stroud flipped his commitment to the University of Central Florida.

Even with Bell’s decision and Stroud’s flip, Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 13 in the nation with 20 players committed. The group has two cornerbacks committed: three-star Jaimier Scott and three-star Jahmare Washington.

BREAKING: Wisconsin class of 2025 commit Rukeem Stroud flips to UCF

BREAKING: Wisconsin loses a member of its class of 2025

Wisconsin football class of 2025 commit cornerback Rukeem Stroud flipped his commitment to the University of Central Florida on Monday afternoon.

Stroud originally committed to Wisconsin on June 1 after an official visit to the program. But he received an official offer from in-state UCF on Saturday and has flipped his commitment.

The four-star recruit is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 441 player in the class of 2025, No. 37 cornerback and No. 60 recruit from the state of Florida. He will play at UCF after receiving offers from top programs, including Wisconsin, USF, Colorado, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Texas A&M and Utah.

The cornerback’s decommitment dropped Wisconsin’s class of 2025 to 20 total commitments. Two two cornerbacks remain in that group: three-star Jahmare Washington and three-star Jaimier Scott.

The Badgers’ class dropped one spot to No. 13 in 247Sports’ national rankings with the news, though it still stands No. 4 in the new Big Ten.

With Stroud’s flipped commitment, Wisconsin lost its sixth-highest-ranked player in the class and highest-ranked cornerback.

In an era defined by player fluctuations and enticing name, image and likeness licensing opportunities, Stroud’s choice to remain close to home is certainly a disappointment to Badger fans.

On the bright side, Luke Fickell and company will look to add to its already-stellar class of 2025 with priority on top-ranked recruits Byron Louis (running back) and Hardy Watts (offensive tackle).

Wisconsin football offers in-state class of 2026 cornerback

Wisconsin football offers in-state class of 2026 cornerback

The Wisconsin Badgers extended a preferred walk-on offer to in-state class of 2026 cornerback Marion Moore on Wednesday.

The 6-foot, 180-pound corner received his preferred walk-on offer following an impressive camp performance.

247Sports, On3 and Rivals have yet to give the lineman a national, position or state-specific ranking. The Madison, Wisconsin native has received six NCAA Division I offers thus far, including from Winona State, Sioux Falls, Minnesota State Mankato, Eastern Illinois, Augustana and UW thus far.

247Sports has yet to release a crystal ball prediction, but Wisconsin is Moore’s first Big Ten offer so far. A rising junior at James Madison Memorial High School in Madison, the local tie to UW could prove beneficial for Fickell and company down the line.

Moore was also named a First-Team All Conference and All-City Defensive Back this past fall.

Excluding Moore, Wisconsin has offered 14 cornerbacks for its 2026 recruiting class. The Badgers’ 2024 cornerback room is projected to be captained by Ricardo Hallman and Jonas Duclona.

Current focus is on Fickell’s class of 2025, which lands at No. 13 in the nation with 17 hard commits.

Wisconsin offers three-star class of 2026 cornerback Elijah Durr

Wisconsin offers three-star class of 2026 cornerback Elijah Durr

  • The Wisconsin Badgers extended an offer to three-star of 2026 cornerback Elijah Durr on Tuesday.

Durr becomes the latest 2026 target to receive an offer from UW, joining interior offensive lineman Samuel Simpson and athlete Rico Blassingame over the past few weeks.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback represents Mount Tahoma High School in Tahoma, Washington. 247Sports has Durr as the nation’s No. 49 cornerback and No. 10 recruit from Washington for the class of 2026.

Durr received his first NCAA Division I offers from Arizona State and Arizona in November 2023. Nevada, Illinois and Wisconsin join Durr’s list of offers thus far.

247Sports has yet to release a crystal ball prediction, but On3’s recruiting prediction machine projects the corner to land in Nevada.

 

Including Durr, Wisconsin has offered 10 cornerbacks. The Badgers’ current cornerback room is projected to be captained by Ricardo Hallman and Jonas Duclona.

Current focus is on Fickell’s class of 2025, which lands at No. 17 in the nation with 13 hard commits.

Wisconsin football receives Rivals prediction to land 2025 four-star corner

Wisconsin football receives Rivals prediction to land 2025 four-star corner

Wisconsin football received a Rivals’ FutureCast prediction to land class of 2025 four-star cornerback Rukeem Stroud on Tuesday.

The prediction comes from Wisconsin insider Jon McNamara prior to Stroud’s June 7 official visit with the Badgers.

A rising senior at Tampa Bay Tech High School in Florida, Stroud is 247Sports’ No. 430 player in the class of 2025, No. 35 cornerback and No. 57 recruit from his home state of Florida.

Stroud has earned 28 offers thus far, including from Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Texas A&M, Maryland, Colorado, Pittsburgh and Louisville. His first collegiate offers arrived on March 24 from Kansas State and Tulane.

At 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, Stroud is a talented multi-sport athlete. As a sophomore, the corner contributed to his high school’s 4×400 squad that captured a regional title and qualified for Florida’s 4A state meet, per 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins.

Stroud has official visits scheduled with Pittsburgh and USF this June as well.

With elite speed and scrappiness on defense, Stroud could immediately impact Mike Tressel’s defensive unit down the line. With Hunter Wohler’s potential departure at safety for the 2025 NFL Draft, establishing depth in the secondary is a good problem to have.

247sports currently has Wisconsin’s class of 2025 as No. 19 in the nation with one cornerback committed thus far: Jaimier Scott from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Wisconsin secures official visit with 2025 CB Jayden Shipps

Wisconsin secures official visit with 2025 CB Jayden Shipps

Wisconsin class of 2025 cornerback target Jayden Shipps will officially visit the Badgers the weekend of June 14.

The program offered the three-star recruit on January 17. Shipps is a rising senior representing Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland.

247Sports’ composite ranking has Shipps as the No. 1002 player in the class of 2025, No. 86 cornerback and No. 26 recruit from his home state of Maryland. The rising senior has received 19 Division 1 offers to this point, including from Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Maryland.

The Badgers recently made Shipps’ final seven schools along with Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, NC State, Virginia and Maryland.

Shipps already has official visits scheduled with Maryland, NC State and Virginia.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete is projected to land at Maryland per 247sports’ crystal ball.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 19 in the nation with 11 players committed. The group has one cornerback committed: three-star Jaimier Scott from Cincinnati, Ohio.