Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has laid claim to the title of the NFL's best cornerback, with rebuttals from the likes of Arizona Cardinals star cover man Patrick Peterson.
Clemson's Mackensie Alexander is now making the claim emphatically when it comes the Saturday game.
"In my opinion? It's not even close. I think every guy that talks about Mackensie knows I'm the best corner in college ball," Alexander told The Post and Courier. "it's not even close. It's not even close. ... Look at my body of work. The things I've done. It's not even close. My numbers, and you look at everybody else's numbers, I mean, I don't care who they are and what league they play in, that doesn't matter. If you can play, you can play, hands down."
Presumably, the number Alexander refers to isn't interceptions; he's not yet had one at CU.
Florida's Vernon Hargreaves III, Virginia Tech's Kendall Fuller, Florida State's Jalen Ramsey, Notre Dame's KeiVarae Russell and a lengthy list of other college corners occupy a lot of space between Alexander and his aspiration.
While those and others are more accomplished by any obvious standard, the numbers to which he is referring don't necessarily have to be statistics. Players are quantifiably graded by coaching staffs in many different ways, so it's possible he is referring to measurements internal to the program that suggest he is more elite at what he does than what the box score suggests.
Still, Alexander's claim is way out in front of reason.
Here are eight other things we learned from fall camps around college football Wednesday:
2. Floyd on mend. For a guy who is supposed to be playing three different roles in the Georgia defense, linebacker Leonard Floyd's importance to Bulldogs defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt couldn't be overstated. So it's not good news that a sore shoulder led to an MRI on Wednesday, even though Floyd was back for practice after missing Tuesday. Prior to UGA fall camp, Floyd hasn't practiced or played since the end of the 2014 regular season. If you're coach Mark Richt, the last thing you want is for Floyd's issue to linger throughout the season, so expect his next full-speed contact to be monitored, if not limited.
3. The one and only. Do South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier's theatrics get better with age? You decide.
4. Trial movement. Wheels are spinning a bit faster on the battery case against Florida State running back Dalvin Cook. A request from Cook's attorney for a speedy trial resulted in scheduling for the week of Aug. 24.
5. The Injury Watch. Mike Williams, one of a plentiful group of offensive skill talent at Clemson, could have his camp interrupted by a troublesome hamstring.
6. The Treadwell Watch. All the optimism about Ole Miss star receiver Laquon Treadwell's reported strong recovery from a gruesome leg injury is well-founded, according to NFL Media senior analyst **Gil Brandt**. Presuming Treadwell's typical production doesn't suffer, the Rebels' receiving corps could be closer to great than good. Along with Treadwell, dangerous slot tight end Evan Engram is back. Ole Miss has one of the SEC's most underrated receivers in Cody Core, and now, there's a camp buzz about the transfer from Washington, Damore'ea Stringfellow.
7. Early birds. The NFL scouting early in fall camps is going straight to the big names. Last week, it was the New York Jetschecking out Cal, where quarterback Jared Goff is one of the nation's top talents. Then this week, NFL Media's Charles Davis spoke to an NFL exec who was en route to see national champion Ohio State.
8. Held back Horned Frog. Medical precautions are being taken with TCU star receiver Josh Doctson. Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson said the team is "being smart" and withholding him to limited practicing for an undisclosed injury. For quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Trevone Boykin, Doctson's full return can't come soon enough.
9. Big shoes. Less than two years after Johnny Manziel's playing career ended at Texas A&M, one of his Aggies coaches sees some of Johnny Football in a candidate for the quarterback job.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
