2020 Preseason All-American Projections: Cornerbacks

By Charlie Campbell
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Heading into the 2020 college football season WalterFootball.com will debut our projections for the nation’s leaders during the fall. The All-American teams always have some surprises and the stars of next fall could be the headlining players next April in the 2021 NFL Draft.

First-Team Cornerbacks:

Derek Stingley, LSU

Even though LSU had a returning corner who was highly touted in Kristian Fulton, Stingley took over as the Tigers’ No.1 corner during 2019. The freshman was phenomenal, shutting down receivers and making big plays for the LSU defense. He showed excellent instincts, size, ball skills, and cover ability. His six interceptions and 15 passes broken up was superb production, but really incredible considering he was a freshman.

Stingley has the ability to end up being a top cornerback prospect, and he could be the best cornerback in college football in 2020. It would be surprising if Stingley is not a top All-American for his sophomore year.



Shaun Wade, Ohio State

Wade had 25 tackles with eight passes broken up, an interception and two sacks in 2019. He made some impressive plays for the Buckeyes and was a bigger presence than the numbers indicate. During the fall, I reported that team sources said they believed Wade was likely to go back to Ohio State for 2020, which is what happened.

Wade has a good skill set to develop with a ton of upside. He had a strong debut for the Buckeyes in 2018, totaling 31 tackles, three interceptions, seven passes defended and one forced fumble on the year. Even though Wade has the size to line up on the outside, Ohio State played him mostly at slot cornerback in 2018 and 2019, and he did well there.

With Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette moving on to the NFL, Wade could move to the outside in 2020, and it would help his draft grade if he plays well there as it would demonstrate the versatility to be effective at numerous spots in coverage. Wade also played some safety. He could be one of the best cornerbacks in the nation as a senior.



Second-Team Cornerbacks:

Patrick Surtain II, Alabama

With Alabama consistently featuring a loaded secondary, it can be hard for young players to see the field. Surtain, however, was the exception, as the star recruit got a lot of playing time for a freshman under Nick Saban. Surtain played well in 2018, recording 28 tackles with an interception, seven passes defended and one forced fumble. He looked like he was just scratching the surface of his potential. As a sophomore in 2019, Surtain had 42 tackles with two interceptions, three forced fumbles and eight passes broken up in 2019.

Surtain (6-2, 203) has good size and tons of upside. He could easily be one of the top corners in the nation in 2020.



Kaiir Elam, Florida

Elam (6-1, 287) was fantastic as a freshman, flashing serious ball skills even though he had a part-time role. With C.J. Henderson in the NFL, Elam could emerge as the No. 1 corner for the Gators. He has good height and length with quickness. Elam could stand to fill out his frame, but considering he is only a true sophomore, he has plenty of time to do it. With his skill set and upside, Elam could explode as a sophomore and junior.





Third-Team Cornerbacks:

Paulson Adebo, Stanford

In the 2019 season opener, Adebo picked up where he left off in 2018, collecting five tackles with two passes batted and an interception against Northwestern. However, he had an ugly game against Central Florida, getting roasted on some double moves. He had a bounce-back game against Washington with four breakups. Adebo totaled 33 tackles with four interceptions and 10 passes broken up on the year, but he was held out against Notre Dame, Washington State, and California with an undisclosed injury. In 2018, Adebo totaled 64 tackles with 20 passes broken up and four interceptions.

Adebo is a big corner who has cover skills and a tremendous ability to play the ball. He also has good instincts and good technique. Adebo shows the size to match up with big wideouts and the speed to carry verticals. He just has to get more disciplined and improve his ability to handle double moves. If Adebo can fix his discipline issues, he could be a First- or Second-Team All-American in 2020.



Israel Mukuamu, South Carolina

Mukuamu was very good in 2019, producing four interceptions, nine passes broken up and 59 tackles. The sophomore put together a huge game against Georgia, shutting down the Bulldogs’ passing attack to lead the Gamecocks to a huge upset win. Mukuamu is a big corner who fights and competes. He definitely has All-American potential.

Honorable Mentions: Georgia’s Tyson Campbell, LSU’s Kary Vincent Jr., Central Florida’s Aaron Robinson, Clemson’s Derion Kendrick, Alabama’s Josh Jobe, Georgia’s Eric Stokes, Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr. and Michigan’s Ambry Thomas.











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