There is plenty of talent when it comes to SEC football at the cornerback position with the league boasting some of the best secondary players in the entire country. SEC offenses have progressed over the years to spread systems with corners often on an island in coverage, so the very best defenders are as agile and skilled as their offensive counterparts:
By Steve Wright
Here are the Top 5 cornerbacks in the SEC entering to 2021 season:
5. Roger McCreary – Auburn Tigers
Roger McCreary is an experienced cornerback who will be one of the key leaders of the Auburn defense this fall. His pass coverage is outstanding, but McCreary sets himself apart in the way he plays the run. He had a tackle for a loss in six of the Tigers’ 10 games last season and he has 81 total tackles and 17 pass breakups over the last two seasons.
4. Kaiir Elam – Florida Gators
Kaiir Elam grew as the season progressed in 2020 and by the end of his true sophomore season he was playing at a similar level to his outstanding true freshman campaign in 2019. In two years he has made 21 plays on the ball in 600 coverage snaps, giving up 21 first downs or touchdowns in the process. One of a number of corners on this list that thrives in press coverage, Elam has outstanding length and physicality for the position and he is expected to be even better as a junior.
3. Eli Ricks – LSU Tigers
Five-star cornerback Eli Ricks was up there with the best true freshman performers in the country regardless of position last fall. When tasked with man coverage he was targeted 19 times while allowing just six catches, making plays on the ball as a defender seven times. He is a physical defender at the line of scrimmage and he has a great feel for when to break off of his coverage to make a play on the ball, even against elite quarterback/wide receiver pairings.
2. Josh Jobe – Alabama Crimson Tide
If Josh Job is able to work on when to use his physical play and when to step off to avoid a flag then he could challenge Stingley as the best cornerback in the entire conference. He was flagged double-digit times in 2020, but taking that side of his game away would be a mistake as Jobe is the best press coverage corner in the entire nation. Allowing 35 yards or less in all his games played means that Jobe locks down one side of the field in terms of big plays allowing Alabama to shift coverage focus to other areas of the defense.
1. Derek Stingley Jr. – LSU Tigers
Derek Stingley was so good as a freshman in 2019 that as a sophomore in 2020 teams simply didn’t throw his way. After attracting 94 targets to his receiver on his first year with the Tigers, that number dropped to just 30 in seven games last fall. He allowed just seven first downs and forced five incompletions in those throws. An elite athlete with a verified 40 time in the 4.3s coming out of high school, Stingley might even get some offensive reps this fall. He is that good.
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