At CB
Gardner arrived in the Queen City as a three-star recruit in 2019 and earned a PFF coverage grade of 90.2 right off the bat as a true freshman, defying the dreaded learning curve at almost every turn. He was seemingly always at the catch point and hardly ever lost. And nothing changed in Year 2.
Gardner has developed into one of the best press-man coverage corners in college football over the last few years. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound cornerback has seen 84 targets in press coverage since landing in Cincinnati, and he has allowed just 16 first downs while making a whopping 22 plays on the ball, the most in the FBS over that time. He has yet to allow a touchdown in his college career, with opposing quarterbacks netting a 35.3 passer rating on throws into his primary coverage. Throwing the ball in the grass every play would generate a passer rating of 39.6.
That, right there, is what we call a lockdown corner. How he’ll fare in new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel’s system is something to monitor, but I have no doubt Gardner will continue his strong play.
The full CB list
www.pff.com
At DE
He’ll see quite a few tackles with middling athleticism in the AAC, and most of those guys simply cannot handle his short-area quicks. Sanders also possesses the length desired on the edge, which helped him get his mitts on five batted passes in 2020. Cincinnati will boast a monstrous defense again in 2021, with Sanders among the many reasons why.
The full edge rushers list
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2. AHMAD GARDNER, CINCINNATI
Under former defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman who is now at Nore Dame, Cincinnati called man coverage at one of the heaviest rates in the entire FBS, and Gardner’s ability to effectively shut down his side of the field in this system is a key reason why the Bearcats have become one of the top defenses in college football.Gardner arrived in the Queen City as a three-star recruit in 2019 and earned a PFF coverage grade of 90.2 right off the bat as a true freshman, defying the dreaded learning curve at almost every turn. He was seemingly always at the catch point and hardly ever lost. And nothing changed in Year 2.
Gardner has developed into one of the best press-man coverage corners in college football over the last few years. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound cornerback has seen 84 targets in press coverage since landing in Cincinnati, and he has allowed just 16 first downs while making a whopping 22 plays on the ball, the most in the FBS over that time. He has yet to allow a touchdown in his college career, with opposing quarterbacks netting a 35.3 passer rating on throws into his primary coverage. Throwing the ball in the grass every play would generate a passer rating of 39.6.
That, right there, is what we call a lockdown corner. How he’ll fare in new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel’s system is something to monitor, but I have no doubt Gardner will continue his strong play.
The full CB list
College Football: Ranking the top 10 returning CBs in 2021 and a sleeper to watch
LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. tops the list of the 10 best cornerbacks returning to college football in 2021.
www.pff.com
At DE
5. MYJAI SANDERS, CINCINNATI
Sanders broke out as a true sophomore in 2019 with an 82.8 pass-rushing grade before taking his play to elite status in Year 3. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound speed rusher posted a 90.1 pass-rushing grade in 2020 that featured four or more pressures in all but one of his games played (he had three in his worst pass-rush outing of the year).He’ll see quite a few tackles with middling athleticism in the AAC, and most of those guys simply cannot handle his short-area quicks. Sanders also possesses the length desired on the edge, which helped him get his mitts on five batted passes in 2020. Cincinnati will boast a monstrous defense again in 2021, with Sanders among the many reasons why.
The full edge rushers list
College Football: Ranking the top 10 returning edge defenders in 2021 and a sleeper to watch
Oklahoma's Nik Bonnito tops the list of the 10 best edge defenders returning to college football in 2021.
www.pff.com