With spring practice coming up on March 6th followed by Florida’s Orange and Blue Spring game on April 12th, Gator Country breaks down Florida’s cornerback room as we roll into spring camp in just a few weeks. After having one of their best seasons in quite some time last year under former defensive backs coach Will Harris, Florida’s familiar cornerback room looks to take another step forward in 2025 under new defensive backs coach Deron Wilson.
The Florida Gators currently have 7 total cornerbacks on scholarship heading into next season after the departure of Jason Marshall Jr. to the NFL draft and Ja’Keem Jackson to the LSU Tigers. The Gators could always add more talent during the spring portal window, but the Florida Gators will look to have a young but very talented cornerback room on paper under new operation in 2025. Florida’s latest additions at cornerback include two 2025 four-star signees in Ben Hanks Jr. and Onis Konanbanny.
Sr. Devin Moore
When healthy, senior cornerback Devin Moore was arguably Florida’s best defensive back on the field for the Gators during the past two seasons, and I expect the same for the talented cornerback in 2025. The injury bug has been something Moore has been unable to escape in his college career with the Gators but looks to be healthy and ready to complete his first full season as a senior in the orange and blue.
Prior to his injury against the Georgia Bulldogs after taking a shot while intercepting Carson Beck, Moore recorded a total of 17 tackles (8 solo), two interceptions and two passes defended and was well on his way to his best season as a Florida Gator. In that loss to the Bulldogs, Moore was later seen with a knee brace on his right knee and didn’t step on the field for the rest of the season.
To begin his career at Florida, Devin Moore was met with those same injury issues while only appearing in five games as a freshman and six games the following year during his sophomore season. During those first two years, Moore recorded just 12 total tackles, three passes defended and one interception. It’s been a long time since Florida has had a talent like Devin Moore not be able to make it through more than six games a season, and that needs to change in 2025 for the sake of Moore’s future in the NFL as well as Florida’s success in 2025.
If Moore can play through 12 games this upcoming season, I expect the senior cornerback to have one the best seasons the Gators have seen at cornerback in quite some time. Like mentioned earlier, when Devin Moore is healthy, he is one of the best defensive backs out there.
Jr. Dijon Johnson
A player who was thrusted into action last season after the injury of star cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. was none other than junior cornerback Dijon Johnson. Last season as a sophomore, Johnson appeared in 13 games while recording a total of 27 tackles (13 solo), two tackles for loss, two passes defended and one quarterback hurry. The former four-star prospect proved that he can be a starting cornerback in the SEC, and I think he has secured a spot starting next to a hopefully healthy Devin Moore when September rolls around later this year.
As a starter last season, Johnson was one of Florida’s best cornerbacks on the field. The Tampa native made his first start of last season against Georgia and started the last four games of the season where he totaled 16 tackles (13 solo), two tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup. Johnson also got a glimpse of action as a true freshman appearing in 12 games while totaling two tackles and a forced fumble against LSU.
The 6-1, 200-pound cornerback is due for a breakout year in his third season as a Florida Gator and I think we see him take that next step as a starting cornerback in 2025. Get ready for Johnson to make a bigger name for himself and double his numbers from last season.
Jr. Cormani McClain
The former No. 1 cornerback and No. 14 overall prospect has had one crazy story so far in his collegiate career, and everything is finally starting to come together for Cormani McClain heading into his third season of college football. Prior to transferring to the Gators as a walk-on in May of 2024, McClain was with Deion Sanders at Colorado where he played in nine games and started in four recording 13 total tackles (six solo) and two pass breakups.
While the 6-2, 175-pounds cornerback did not see the field as much in his first year as a Florida Gator, McClain looked more athletic, quick, and flashed more elite playmaking ability at Florida than he did in Boulder, Colorado. As a sophomore with the Gators, McClain appeared in three games totaling five tackles (three solo), 0.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and an interception returned for a touchdown that made The Swamp erupt.
With 3:31 remaining in his Florida Gator debut against the Kentucky Wildcats last season, Cormani McClain made one of the best plays I’ve seen a Florida defensive back make since Vernon Hargreaves and Quincy Wilson were on campus. The Florida native has talent that is extremely hard to keep off the field and that was evident after flashing his playmaking ability with his pick-6 against the Wildcats. With the gains added in the weight room, I think it’s clear that Cormani McClain will sit behind Devin Moore while seeing the field quite a lot in 2025.
After joining the program as a walk-on, Cormani McClain recently earned a scholarship in January of 2025 after his performance in his first year with the Gators.
R-Fr. Jameer Grimsley
The former 2024 prospect who originally signed with Alabama was forced to transfer to Florida after not being able to get out of his NLI with the Crimson Tide after the retirement of Nick Saban. As a freshman, Grimsley made his collegiate debut at Texas where he registered 15 total snaps and 22 snaps against Florida State later in the season. The former four-star prospect didn’t see the field much as a freshman, and recently had ACL revision surgery, according to Swamp 247, which puts his playing time in 2025 in question.
So. Teddy Foster
The former three-star prospect is going into his second season as a Florida Gators after recording four total tackles in five games played last season. Foster made his collegiate debut against Samford as a reserve totaling 14 snaps for a 63.5 PFF grade. The Florida native had his best game last season in Florida’s bowl win over Tulane recording two tackles against the Green Wave with a season-high 15 total snaps. I expect Foster to split reps with Jameer Grimsley (if healthy) as a reserve cornerback.
Fr. Ben Hanks
Arguably the biggest save for the Gators in the 2025 cycle was being able to get a signature from 4-star CB Ben Hanks Jr. The Miami native has recorded 113 total tackles (75 solo), 11 passes defended, 4 fumble recoveries and one forced fumble in his career. Hanks has also hauled in a total of 21 interceptions in his high school career, 13 of those came from his senior season alone to break a Miami-Dade County single-season record.
With players like Jason Marshall Jr., Ja’Keem Jackson and possibly others graduating or transferring, landing an elite player like Ben Hanks Jr. was crucial for the Gators’ secondary. The 6-1, 170-pound defensive back was the No. 76 overall player in the country and No. 11 cornerback in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Fr. Onis Konanbanny
Florida’s final addition from the 2025 class was a late addition that the Gators landed on Signing Day just a day after backing off his pledge with the Tennessee Volunteers. Onis Konanbanny held 43 total offers and was a four-star prospect while also competing in track and soccer throughout high school. After transferring to Heathwood Hall Episcopal for his junior and senior seasons, Konanbanny recorded 76 tackles (64 solo), six tackles for loss, eight passes defended, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, two quarterback hurries and one interception. I expect Konanbanny to have a similar freshman season to what we saw last season with Jameer Grimsley or Teddy Foster. I wouldn’t expect to see him play much, but I think the 6-1, 180-pound corner will definitely see the field here and there as the season goes on, especially if the room suffers injuries.
Sr. Michael Caraway Jr.
Florida dipped into the transfer portal for Southern Miss defensive back Michael Caraway Jr., who will likely play both STAR and corner for the Gators this season. The addition provides the Gators with much needed depth in 2025.
Projected depth chart:
CB: Devin Moore, Cormani McClain, Michael Caraway OR Onis Konanbanny
CB: Dijon Johnson, Ben Hanks, Jameer Grimsley OR Teddy Foster