There have been moments when RJ Johnson will make a great play to swat the ball away from a receiver. And other moments when Teon Parks will snag an interception or break up a pass.
Throughout preseason camp, both have made their case to start, which makes it difficult on Colorado cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis to figure out which one will be in the lineup when the Buffaloes host Georgia Tech on Aug. 29 (6 p.m., ESPN) at Folsom Field.
“It’s been tough for us,” Mathis said Thursday after the Buffaloes’ practice. “They’ve both been playing really well, and they’re competing, man. But, I’m confident with each of them.
“Whichever one of them we put out on the field (against Georgia Tech), man, is gonna be going out there and competing.”
Junior DJ McKinney is already set at one cornerback spot. A full-time starter in 2024, McKinney earned preseason All-Big 12 honors and hasn’t disappointed in preseason camp.
“He understands what he needs to do to get where he wants to get to (in the NFL) and he’s showing it out there every day in practice,” said Mathis, who certainly knows what it takes after playing 10 years in the NFL, from 1997-2006. “(McKinney) had a strong day today, and he continues to stack those days because he knows that he wants this to be his last year and he wants to be the best.”
Senior Preston Hodge is set as the starter at nickel back. He started in that spot last year before missing the last four games with an injury and, like McKinney, has been a veteran leader in camp.
“I’m excited about where he can go,” Mathis said of Hodge. “He’s been doing a great job of being that leader that we need in that back end. Him and DJ both have stepped up tremendously. They’re leading that DB room, and they’re leading the whole defense, and not just by their actions; but the way they’re playing on the field, leading the guys in the film room and things like that.”
Meanwhile, it’s the second cornerback spot that has yet to be determined, and the Buffs are looking to Parks and Johnson to fill the role. Mathis said he’s “pretty sure” both are going to play.
Parks is a junior who played the previous two years at Illinois State. He started just seven of 14 games last year, but led the Missouri Valley Conference in passes defended, with 12 (11 pass breakups, one interception). He also had 39 tackles.
Johnson is in his second season at CU. Now a sophomore, he redshirted at Arkansas in 2023 and played as a backup for the Buffs last year. He’s been making a good impression since the spring, though.
“He’s been consistently being where he’s supposed to be,” Mathis said. “He’s in a tough battle over there with Teon, but they both continue to push each other. Iron sharpens iron. So they go out there competing every day.”
Wyoming transfer Tyrecus Davis is pushing for time, too. A 12-game starter at Wyoming last year, Davis posted 42 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups. In camp this month, Davis has played mainly behind Hodge at nickel, and he’s made some big plays.
“Tyrecus is playing real well, too,” Mathis said. “We’ve got to find a way to get him on the field. He will be playing in some of our dime package stuff.”
Overall, the cornerback group is one that, despite losing Heisman Trophy winner and Big 12 defensive player of the year Travis Hunter to the NFL, could be a strength – if they continue their current path of improvement.
“You’ve got to be uncomfortable being uncomfortable in order to grow and those guys are taking on that challenge,” Mathis said. “That’s why we’re talking about consistency, because they’re doing some different stuff in their technique that they’re not used to doing, but it’s going to make them better from what they are, so they got to be used to being uncomfortable. I think they’re getting a hold of that.”