Arizona football signee analysis: 3-star cornerback Emmanuel Karnley

Jan 17, 2023 - 2:00 PM

The Early Signing Period is here at last! AZ Desert Swarm has you covered and will be bringing you analysis of the signees throughout the offseason.

Let’s take a closer look at 3-star cornerback signee Emmanuel Karnley.

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Arizona really focused on the defense side of the football during the 2023 class, which isn’t complete yet. One of the late, yet major, additions was Karnley.

Karnley is an impressive player. His size definitely stands out in the defensive backfield, sitting at 6-foot-3 and around 180 pounds. He will need to add size and strength to his frame, but that shouldn’t be a problem under the tutelage of strength coach Tyler Owens.

He has long arms with the wingspan to boot. He uses that wingspan to successfully disrupt the receiver and make plays on the ball. To go with that wingspan, he has good hands, which means interceptions.

Karnley is good at playing the ball and being successful. He had multiple interceptions during his senior season and that is due in large part to his good hands. He also plays with very good vision and his ability to be in the right position is impressive. These traits stem from his athleticism and experience playing wide receiver as well.

His speed is easily one of his strongest attributes. On offense, he can easily get behind his defender and blow the top off the defense. Transferring that ability to the other side of the ball and Karnley can keep up with receivers easily downfield.

Karnley is a very nice get for the Wildcat defense and fits into the mold of what the corners will look like under defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen.