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College Football: Top 10 returning cornerbacks for the 2025 season

2S1D1EY Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore (15) makes a play on the ball as Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Dillon Bell (86) has to defend during the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Notre Dame defeats Georgia 23-10. (Kirk Meche/Image of Sport)

By Max Chadwick
  • A true sophomore is No. 1: Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore is the best returning corner in college football after an incredible freshman season.
  • Jermod McCoy is the early favorite for CB1 in the 2026 draft: The rising junior at Tennessee is a fantastic athlete with elite ball skills.
  • PFF’s 2025 NFL Draft Guide is LIVE: This year’s guide is loaded with three-page draft profiles on hundreds of NFL draft prospects in the 2025 class.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

With the 2024 college football season in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to 2025 by ranking the top returning players at every position. 

Next up is cornerback. For the third time in this year’s positional rankings, a rising sophomore is at the top with plenty of talented players behind him who are jockeying for CB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Below is a list of PFF’s top 10 returning cornerbacks in college football in addition to an honorable mention nominee. Please note that NFL projection was not taken into account in these rankings.

Click below to view our other position rankings
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL | DI | EDGE | LB

1. Leonard Moore, Notre Dame

Since PFF began its top returning players at every position series in 2020, only seven rising true sophomores have been at the top of their respective positions. Three of those seven come this year, with Moore rounding out the bunch.

Players who entered their true sophomore seasons as the No. 1 player at their position
NamePositionSchoolYear
Derek Stingley Jr.CBLSU2020
Tank BigsbyRBAuburn2021
Brock BowersTEGeorgia2022
Caleb DownsSOhio State2024
Jeremiah SmithWROhio State2025
Colin SimmonsEDGETexas2025
Leonard MooreCBNotre Dame2026

Moore finished his true freshman season as the third-most-valuable corner in college football according to PFF’s wins above average metric, trailing only Jahdae Barron and Travis Hunter. He was especially good in Notre Dame’s man-heavy scheme, as his 82.5 grade in man coverage was third among all corners in the nation. The former three-star recruit is a smooth athlete at 6-foot-2 who mirrors receivers at an elite level already. In fact, he only allowed 16 of his 42 targets in single coverage to be caught. 

2. Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

The current favorite to be the top corner selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, McCoy was a lockdown player for the Volunteers after transferring in from Oregon State. His 89.6 coverage grade in 2024 is second among returning Power Four corners while his four interceptions were tied for second in that same group.

McCoy has great ball skills with phenomenal movement ability, scoring a near-perfect 99.9 in PFF’s Game Athleticism Score metric.

3. D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana

“The first guy off the bus” is a phrase used to describe a team’s physically most imposing player. In that sense, Ponds would likely be the last off the bus for the Hoosiers at just 5-foot-9, 170 pounds. That hasn’t kept him from performing like one of the nation’s best corners in each of his first two seasons though.

Ponds showed his true freshman season at James Madison was no fluke, placing as one of the 15 most valuable corners in the nation once again at Indiana. His 91.8 PFF grade over the last two years is the highest among all returning FBS cornerbacks as well. There’s zero fear in Ponds’ game both in coverage and in run defense.

4. Avieon Terrell, Clemson

The younger brother of current Atlanta Falcons corner A.J. Terrell, Avieon is projected to follow in his brother’s footsteps from Clemson to the first round of the NFL Draft. The younger Terrell is a much better run-defender than his brother, placing fourth among all cornerbacks with a 90.7 run-defense grade this past season while his three forced fumbles tied for second. He’s still excellent in coverage as well, leading all Power Four corners with 14 forced incompletions in 2024. 

While not the biggest at just 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Terrell plays with outstanding physicality for the position and has the speed to stick with receivers in man coverage.

5. Chandler Rivers, Duke

Rivers enjoyed a breakout junior campaign with the Blue Devils, tying with Jahdae Barron for the highest PFF grade among Power Four cornerbacks (90.7). Only the top player on this list, Leonard Moore, was more valuable than him this past season according to our wins above average metric.

Rivers has versatility as both an outside corner and nickel defender and is an expert at reading the quarterback’s eyes in zone coverage. He’s also a weapon as a blitzer, placing second among Power Four corners with nine pressures last year. 

6. Malik Muhammad, Texas

The Longhorns may have lost a first-round cornerback in the aforementioned Barron, but they’re still in a great spot with Muhammad returning for his junior season. Only three returning Power Four corners have been more valuable than him over the last two seasons according to our WAA metric. He has 17 forced incompletions in that span despite only being targeted on 12.1% of his coverage snaps. 

While not an elite athlete, Muhammad wins with his instincts and ability to click and close in coverage. 

7. A.J. Harris, Penn State

After playing sparingly at Georgia as a true freshman, Harris transferred to Penn State and showed why he was a top-40 recruit coming out of high school. He finished his sophomore year as one of the 10 most valuable cornerbacks in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric while only allowing 0.76 yards per coverage snap.

Harris can succeed on the outside or in the slot and has excellent instincts in zone coverage while being overall very technically refined. 

8. Jeremiah Wilson, Houston

Following two years at Syracuse, Wilson transferred to Houston and became one of the best corners in America as a junior. His 86.7 PFF grade was ninth among all cornerbacks in the nation as he came down with four interceptions while only allowing a 46.7 passer rating when targeted.

Wilson thrives in off coverage as he’s just 5-foot-10, 185 pounds but he has the movement skills and instincts to do well in either man or zone coverage. 

9. Jontez Williams, Iowa State

The Cyclones had a double-digit win season for the first time in program history this past season, and that can largely be attributed to outstanding play from their wide receivers and cornerbacks. While Iowa State lost many of those stars to the league, it did return a stud corner in Williams. 

He allowed just a 19.6 passer rating into his coverage this past season, fourth among all corners in the country. For reference, spiking the ball every play nets a 39.6 rating. Williams was also third among all Power Four corners with a 37.2% completion rate allowed as well. He has phenomenal instincts in zone coverage and picked off four passes last year. 

10. Cameron Calhoun, Alabama

The only incoming transfer on this list, Calhoun joins the Crimson Tide after playing for Utah last year. He earned an impressive 82.8 PFF grade as a redshirt freshman, placing 10th among Power Four cornerbacks. Calhoun allowed just 48.8% of his targets to be caught while finishing as one of the 30 most valuable corners in the nation despite only playing the fourth-most snaps among the Utes’ corners.

He needs to add weight as he’s just 6-feet, 177 pounds but he has excellent make-up speed and should be a major reason why Alabama has one of the best defenses in college football next season.

Honorable Mention: Eli Bowen, Oklahoma

Bowen was one of the 25 highest-graded corners in the nation as just a true freshman, earning an 81.9 PFF grade. His 89.4 run-defense grade was seventh among all cornerbacks while his 78.7 coverage grade trailed only Leonard Moore among true freshmen at the position.

While just 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, Bowen has terrific movement skills and already has the football IQ of a senior.

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