Think back to the last set of KU cornerbacks before this season that stood out as worthy of being mentioned among the best at their position in the country.
It’s likely that your mind flashed back to 2007, when Aqib Talib and Chris Harris were starting for the Jayhawks — Talib as a junior, Harris a freshman — still in the early stages of what wound up being All-Pro and Super Bowl championship careers in the NFL.
Of that duo, only Talib wound up being named an All-American at Kansas.
That fact makes what Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson did together this season stand out as the best single season by a pair of KU cornerbacks in school history.
In addition to making plays and being menaces to opposing quarterbacks and wideouts throughout the season, Bryant and Dotson both earned multiple postseason All-American honors, making them the first set of KU cornerbacks to hold that distinction together in the same season.
They made a ton of big plays, sometimes in the same game and sometimes on a rotating basis, and delivered from start to finish for the Kansas defense, bringing strong consistency and massive confidence to the entire 11-man unit that was on the field when they were.
Dotson led the Jayhawks with 5 picks, Bryant was right behind with 4, including 3 in the KU win over Houston alone, and each added 7 break-ups, as well, while finishing with 49 (Dotson) and 37 (Bryant) tackles on the season.
Both will get their shot to add to their careers in the NFL the way Harris and Talib did, whether that’s as spring draft picks or undrafted free agents. And there’s plenty of reason to believe that both players will be representing Kansas football at the next level for a long time.
Before we get to that point, though, here’s a look back at our favorite images of KU’s dynamic duo, Cobee and Mello, from the 2024 season.
Stay tuned in the next week or so for more favorite memories from 2024.
• Photos by Chance Parker & Sarah Buchanan •
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