He was not as flamboyant as his former teammate Mackensie Alexander, but Cordrea Tankersley was every bit as good.
Alexander was known for getting in his opponents’ faces and letting everyone know how good he was. Tankersley was different. He was quiet, but he was every bit as effective.
Tankersley was Clemson’s All-American cornerback during its national championship run in 2016. He earned First-Team All-American honors from USA TODAY Sports and was a third-team selection by the Associated Press.
A two-year starter, Tankersley played in 55 games in his Clemson career, including 30 starts. He finished his college career with 149 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and one sack. He had nine interceptions and broke up 22 passes all together.
In 2015, Tankersley started opposite of Alexander, who was also an All-American at Clemson and a second-round draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Tankersley held his own. He finished 2015 with a team-high five interceptions, while also breaking up 11 other passes.
A third-team All-ACC selection, Tankersley had 60 tackles, including three tackles for loss while helping Clemson win its first 14 games in 2015 and advance to the national championship game.
In 2016, Tankersley became a first-team All-ACC selection after he again led the Tigers with four interceptions. He also led the team with 11 passes broken up and had 65 tackles, including a career-high six for loss.
Tankersley helped lead Clemson to a 14-1 record and to the 2016 National Championship, the program’s first in the 35 years at the time. At season’ end, he was named an All-American to go with his All-ACC status.
In April of 2017, Tankersley was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round and at 97 overall in the NFL Draft.
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