To date, we have covered quarterbacks, linebackers, centers/guards, defensive ends, wide receivers and offensive tackles in the Four Kings series. This week, we put the spotlight on the players who can lock down an opponent's top receiver and shut down an entire side of the secondary: Cornerbacks.
This will be another tough challenge in deciding which cornerbacks in Ohio State's history you believe are the best in school history. To help you out, we've listed 24 of Ohio State’s most accomplished cornerbacks with a description of their storied careers.
Note: The stats shown are based on the end-of-season stats for each player.
Note: You will find Jack Tatum and Donte Whitner as candidates for Ohio State's best safeties. Paul Warfield will be listed with the running backs.
Fred Bruney (1950-52)
Bruney finished his Ohio State career with 17 interceptions, which ranks second in program history. He intercepted three passes against Illinois in 1951 and had three interceptions against Michigan in 1952. Bruney was an All-Big Ten honoree in 1952. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 1953 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | 17 | 212 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Ted Provost (1967-69)
Was an All-American as a senior and an All-Big Ten honoree as a junior and senior. The Rams selected Provost in the 1970 NFL Draft. He was named to the Ohio State All-Century Team and was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2006.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | 16 | 124 | 1 | NA | NA | NA |
Tim Anderson (1968-70)
Anderson was an All-American his senior year and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | 3 | 6 | 0 | NA | NA | NA |
Neal Colzie (1972-74)
The first-round selection of the Raiders in the 1975 NFL Draft was a captain, All-American and two-time All-Big Ten honoree for the Buckeyes. Colzie was named to the Ohio State All-Century Team and was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2009.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 15 | 205 | 2 | 10 | NA | NA |
Craig Cassady (1973-75)
Cassady intercepted nine passes in 1975, which tied safety Mike Sensibaugh's program record. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the eighth round of the 1976 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 9 | 105 | 0 | 8 | NA | NA |
Michael Guess (1976-79)
Guess was a three-time Big Ten honoree and a captain of the 1979 Buckeyes. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1980 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 171 | 13 | 161 | 1 | 24 | NA | NA |
Vince Skillings (1977-80)
Skillings was an All-Big Ten honoree as a sophomore, junior and senior and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 1981 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 186 | 13 | 212 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 3 |
William White (1984-87)
The captain and All-Big Ten honoree is tied for third on Ohio State's career interceptions list. White was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 1988 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 178 | 16 | 153 | 2 | 21 | 5 | 6 |
Vinnie Clark (1988-90)
A captain of the 1990 Buckeyes, Clark was a first-round selection of the Green Bay Packers in the 1991 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 154 | 11 | 123 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
Shawn Springs (1993-96)
A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Springs was also a consensus All-American and the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year during his last season in Columbus. Springs is one of five Buckeyes to break up 15 or more passes in a single season.
The Seattle Seahawks selected Springs with the third overall pick of the 1997 NFL Draft. He was also named to the Ohio State All-Century Team.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152 | 7 | 61 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
Antoine Winfield (1995-98)
A member of the Ohio State All-Century Team, Winfield was a two-time All-American (consensus in 1998), an All-Big Ten honoree and the school's first Jim Thorpe Award winner. He was also captain and MVP of the 1998 Buckeyes. The Buffalo Bills selected Winfield in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 278 | 3 | 52 | 0 | 29 | 5 | 2 |
Ahmed Plummer (1995-99)
A first-round selection of the 49ers in the 2000 NFL Draft, Plummer was a captain, team MVP and All-Big Ten honoree during his final season in Columbus. With 17 passes broken up in 1998, Plummer is tied for the program record for a single season.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 168 | 14 | 149 | 1 | 34 | 2 | 1 |
Nate Clements (1998-2000)
Clements was an All-Big Ten honoree during his final season with the Buckeyes and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | 7 | 83 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
Chris Gamble (2001-03)
A two-way player, Gamble was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and a co-MVP of the 2002 national championship team. The Carolina Panthers selected him in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 7 | 40 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
Ashton Youboty (2003-05)
Youboty was as All-Big Ten player during his final season with the Buckeyes and was selected by the Bills in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | 5 | 77 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 1 |
Malcolm Jenkins (2005-08)
Jenkins was a captain, a two-time All-American (consensus in 2008), a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and Ohio State's second Jim Thorpe Award winner. The New Orleans Saints selected Jenkins with the 14th overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 196 | 11 | 159 | 2 | 17 | 4 | 0 |
Chimdi Chekwa (2006-10)
An All-American and All-Big Ten player in 2010, Chekwa was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145 | 6 | 50 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 0 |
Bradley Roby (2010-13)
Roby is Ohio State's all-time leader in career pass breakups (36) and is tied for the single-season PBU record with 17 in 2012. He was an All-American in 2012 and All-Big Ten honoree in 2012 and 2013.
The Denver Broncos selected Roby in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 179 | 8 | 226 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 1 |
Eli Apple (2013-15)
A two-year starter for the Buckeyes, Apple was selected by the New York Giants with the 10th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 2 |
Gareon Conley (2013-16)
Conley was captain of the 2016 Buckeyes and was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
Marshon Lattimore (2014-16)
Lattimore was an All-Big Ten honoree during his last season with the Buckeyes. The New Orleans Saints made Lattimore the 11th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 4 | 61 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
Denzel Ward (2015-17)
Ward was a consensus All-American and All-Big Ten honoree in 2017 and was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the fourth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
Jeff Okudah (2017-19)
Okudah was a unanimous All-American and All-Big Ten honoree in 2019 and was selected by the Detroit Lions with the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
Shaun Wade (2018-20)
Wade was a consensus All-American and All-Big Ten honoree during his last season in Columbus and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
| Tackles | Interceptions | INT Yards | INT TD | PBU | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | 6 | 48 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 1 |
