2023 Alabama Crimson Tide Position Preview: Cornerbacks

Entering third year as a starter, Kool-Aid McKinstry is the one young cornerbacks turn to for help.

Edwin Stanton | Jul 31, 2023

One truth about Alabama’s defense is the defensive backs will be among the best coached in the country.

They may not be the best in college football every year, but with Nick Saban lurking during the defensive back drills and moving in quick to correct mistakes, you can bet they will be ready for anything.

The Alabama defensive backs were in fact among the best around last year. The Crimson Tide was 17th in the country in passing yards allowed (188 per game) and had the No. 9 scoring defense with just 12 passing touchdowns allowed.

The good news? Alabama returns both starting cornerbacks, and one is a preseason All-SEC selection.

Kool-Aid McKinstry has been a starter since he set foot on campus in 2021. The junior is among the elite cornerbacks in the country, and when April rolls around you can bet he’ll be snatched up pretty quick.

There’s also sophomore Terrion Arnold, who cracked the starting lineup seven times in 11 games last year. McKinstry and Arnold accounted for 25 passes defended last season and two interceptions.

The starters are set and there are no surprises there. The most important position is always the backups. In case something happens to the starters, these are the guys waiting in the wings.

“We have a lot of young players this year, young secondary…Dezz Ricks, Jahlil Hurley. Even the newcomers that we have, the transfers, are standing out, learning the defense, looking good for the coaches," McKinstry said.

Let’s start with Ricks. He hasn’t played an official down at UA, but there’s good reason to think he’s going to see the field quickly in the fall. The five-star freshman has been on campus since the spring, played in the A-Day Game and has received praise from Saban a time or two.

Another true freshman with some big expectations is Hurley. At 6-2, 170 pounds with excellent speed, Hurley is sure to compete for playing time in the defensive backfield.

There’s two more young players looking to make an impact in 2023. Earl Little II missed half the season with an injury but returned for the other half, and he saw action in a few games to gain valuable experience. Antonio Kite played in two games last year and redshirted.

It’s going to help the younger cornerbacks to have McKinstry as a mentor, as well as the aforementioned watchful eye of Saban.

“When I first came in, I was a little shaky about being around Coach Saban. I'm pretty sure those guys have the same mindset about that,” McKinstry said. “I just tell them, Coach Saban is a guy that you have to be able to trust. If he doesn't trust you, it's going to be hard for you.”

That takes care of the young backups. That leaves us with Louisiana-Lafayette transfer Trey Amos. He’s the most experienced of the Crimson Tide cornerbacks. He’s played in 34 games and had 14 pass breakups for the Ragin’ Cajuns. The best part? He’s got two years of eligibility.

Projected Depth Chart

Right Cornerback

Kool-Aid McKinstry (Jr.)
Antonio Kite (RFr.) or Dezz Ricks (Fr.)

Left Cornerback

Terrion Arnold (So.)
Trey Amos (Sr.) or Earl Little II (So.)
Jahlil Hurley (Fr.)

Kool-Aid McIinstry

6-1, 195 pounds, junior

In 2022 he as a second team All-American at corner by the AFCA and The Sporting News ... also a second-team corner by CBS Sports and a third-team honoree on defense according to the Associated Press ... picked up second-team honors as a punt returner by the FWAA and was tabbed a third-teamer at punt returner by PFF ... selected to the All-SEC First Team as a defensive back by both the AP and the league coaches.

Antonio Kite

6-1, 182 pounds, redshirt freshman

Played in two games last season. In high school he was a unanimous four-star prospect ... ranked 118th on the ESPN300 ... ESPN.com's No. 13 athlete, No. 53 player in the Southeast Region and No. 8 signee from the state of Alabama ... On3 tabbed him as the No. 110 player in its On300 ... No. 173 on the Rivals250, the No. 10 athlete nationally and the No. 9 player from the state ... No. 164 on the 247Composite, the No. 8 athlete and No. 9 player in Alabama ... the On3 Consensus ranked him as the No. 167 recruit nationally ... No. 224 on the Top247 list by 247Sports while also being tabbed the No. 10 athlete overall and No. 11 player in the state ... No. 172 recruit nationally by PrepStar and the No. 7 athlete in the nation.

Dezz Ricks

6-1, 182 pounds, freshman

A five-star recruit and the No. 17 player on the ESPN300 ... also listed as the second-ranked corner, No. 8 player in the Southeast Region and the No. 3 player in the Sunshine State by ESPN ... the No. 19 recruit on the Rivals100, the No. 2 corner in the country and a five-star prospect by Rivals ... earned a five-star rating on the 247Composite ... the Composite's No. 23 player nationally, the second-ranked corner and sixth-rated player from the state ... 20th-ranked prospect overall, the fifth-rated player from Florida and the second-ranked corner according to the On3 Consensus ... a four-star recruit by 247Sports and On3 ... the No. 42 player on the Top247 list while also being tabbed as 247's No. 3 corner and No. 10 player in Florida ... the No. 47 player overall and No. 7 corner by On3 ... selected to the Under Armour All-America Game ... coached by Kyle Brey at IMG Academy ... chose Alabama over LSU along with Florida and Florida State.

Terrion Arnold

6-0, 196 pounds, sophomore

Selected as a Freshman All-American by the FWAA ... named to the Freshman All-SEC Team by the league coaches ... saw time in 11 contests with seven starts, missing only the LSU and Kansas State games ... totaled 45 tackles, including one for loss (-1 yard), to go with eight pass breakups ... added one interception with a 21-yard return and a fumble recovery ... selected as a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.

Trey Amos

6-1, 197 pounds, senior

Came to Tuscaloosa after spending the previous three seasons at Louisiana Lafayette ... played in 34 career games for the Ragin' Cajuns ... totaled 59 tackles, including 2.5 for loss (-8 yards) ... added 14 pass breakups, a forced fumble, one interception and a blocked kick to his career totals ... put together his best season in 2022, recording 35 tackles across 11 games of action.

Earl Little II

6-1, 186 pounds, sophomore

Missed the first half of the season recovering from injury ... worked in three contests during his freshman season. a unanimous four-star prospect by all major recruiting sites ... listed as the No. 38 overall recruit in the On300 rankings by On3 ... the No. 83 prospect and No. 12 corner in the country by 247Sports ... also tabbed as the No. 12 player from Florida by 247 ... the No. 15 player from the state according to Rivals.com ... the 81st-rated player on the Rivals100 and No. 9 cornerback nationally by Rivals ... the No. 84 recruit in the On3 Consensus rankings ... listed as the No. 105 player in the country and the No. 12 cornerback on the 247Composite.

Jahlil Hurley

6-2, 170, freshman

A highly coveted defensive back who can play cornerback or safety ... a consensus four-star prospect ... ranked 38th nationally on the 247Composite, the No. 4 cornerback and No. 5 player in Alabama ... No. 28 on the ESPN300 list, the No. 3 corner, the No. 16 player in the Southeast Region and No. 5 player in the state ... No. 41 in the On3 Consensus and a four-star recruit, ranking as the No. 4 corner nationally and No. 5 player in Alabama ... the No. 31 recruit in the country on Sports Illustrated's SI99 list that ranked the top high school seniors in the class ... No. 38 in the On3 national rankings, the No. 5 cornerback and No. 4 player in the state ... No. 60 in the Top247, the No. 4 corner and No. 7 player in Alabama ... No. 67 on the Rivals100 list, the No. 9 player in the state and the No. 8 cornerback ... five-start member of the PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team (No. 21) ... the No. 3 cornerback by PrepStar and the third-ranked player in Alabama ... selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game.