By Luke Brumm
Time to move to the secondary. Let’s look at my picks for the best corners heading into 2024.
5. Benjamin Morrison – Notre Dame
Benjamin Morrison will be a junior this season and will look to be one of the best corners in America once again. He is a lockdown defender and the leader of that secondary. In his two seasons in South Bend, Morrison has 64 total tackles, 47 solo tackles, and nine interceptions, with one of them being returned for a touchdown. Six of those interceptions came in his freshmen season, and I will be watching to see if he can eclipse that number for Notre Dame in 2024.
4. Sebastian Castro – Iowa
Sebastian Castro is next up in a long line of great Hawkeye defensive backs. Castro is a 5’11”, 205-lb. senior from Oak Lawn, Illinois. In 2023 he had more tackles, pass break-ups, and interceptions than Cooper DeJean. DeJean went in the second round to the Eagles and was considered one of the best corners in this year’s NFL Draft. Castro will be leaned on to produce even more in order for the Iowa defense to be as effective as it was last season. The Hawkeyes take on Ohio State and their elite wide receivers on October 5th, so he better be preparing.
3. Denzel Burke – Ohio State
Speaking of the Buckeyes, Denzel Burke comes in at number three. He may not have the interception stats that match up with others on this list, but that is because he doesn’t get thrown at often. Burke is a lockdown corner who is usually covering the other team’s premier receiver.
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In his three years so far in Columbus, he has racked up 95 tackles, 25 pass breakups, and two interceptions. Ohio State will have to face a lot of offensive talent in 2024, and expect Burke to be in the thick of it all.
2. Travis Hunter – Colorado
There have been rumors recently that some NFL scouts and GMs think that Travis Hunter may be a better receiver than corner, and I couldn’t disagree more. I think Hunter is a great wide receiver, but he is a generational corner. Hunter was the number one overall player in his class and shocked everyone by flipping from Florida State to Jackson State on signing day. He went there because of Deion Sanders and then followed him to Colorado. Hunter has been playing both ways since high school and is elite at both corner and receiver. Last season, he had 31 total tackles, three pass breakups, three interceptions, 57 receptions, 721 yards, and three touchdowns.
1. Will Johnson – Michigan
Will Johnson just won the National Championship and is back for one more season with the Wolverines. Johnson was one of the leaders last year and will be the undisputed leader of this Michigan team that is filled with new faces and a new head coach. In 2023, he had 27 total tackles, four interceptions and had receivers stranded on his island all season. They will be matching up with the likes of Texas, USC, Washington, Oregon, and Ohio State this year, so Johnson and that defense better be ready.
