#12

Ahmad Gardner

Former cornerback at Cincinnati. 2021: 3 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 40 tackles.

CB · Cincinnati · Jr. · #12

6′2″ · 188 lb · Detroit, MI

CFB Index 94 · #4 of 321 cornersLow confidenceConsensus AANew York — drafted 2022, Rd 1, Pick 4, #4 overall

Recruiting

3★

CB recruit

No. 1605 nationally · Signed with Cincinnati

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former cornerback at Cincinnati. 2021: 3 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 40 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Cincinnati in 2019.
Drafted round 1 by the New York in 2022.

His career, year by year

Career, closed

Gone at #4 overall.

How it ended

Three seasons at Cincinnati, 99 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2020) — drafted at #4 overall by New York.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

201911 games

Signed with Cincinnati3-star out of Martin Luther King

20209 games

All-AACfirst

202112 games

All-AACfirst

2022

Drafted by New Yorkround 1, pick 4

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#1605 national

CFB

College

Cincinnati

2019–2021

NFL

NFL Draft

R1 · #4

New York · 2022

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-AAC · 1ST TEAM

All-AAC 1st team (2021)

Coaching lineage · 2019–2021

1 coach

2019–2021

Luke Fickell

Cincinnati

Played his entire career under Luke Fickell.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

New YorkEntering 5th NFL season

#4Rd 1 · Pick 4

New YorkEntering 5th NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2021 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

3 seasons under Luke Fickell — 33-5 over that span.

2019Cincinnati11-3HC: Luke Fickell · Run-heavy

2020Cincinnati9-1HC: Luke Fickell · Run-leaning

2021Cincinnati13-1HC: Luke Fickell · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

94All-America level #4 of 321?

Low confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: interceptions (90th percentile). Strength: sacks (86th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Interceptions#36 / 824 · 90th pct

Sacks#346 / 2743 · 86th pct

3.0

Passes defended#310 / 2743 · 86th pct

Tackles for loss#592 / 2743 · 77th pct

5.0

Solo tackles#677 / 2743 · 75th pct

Tackles#928 / 2743 · 65th pct

QB hurries#827 / 2743 · 59th pct

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2021 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	3.3	0.5	0.3	0.0
Road6g	2.5	0.2	0.2	0.7

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-76g	2.5	0.1	0.0	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	3.3	0.6	0.5	0.3

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Scott Satterfield

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2021

Consensus All-American

First team on a majority of the recognized selector lists.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

94 · #4 of 321 corners

Three-star recruit. Now #4 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2021	Cincinnati	40	28	5.0	3.0	4	3	--
2020	Cincinnati	28	16	0.5	0.5	6	3	--
2019	Cincinnati	31	24	0.0	0.0	8	3	--
Career		99	68	5.5	3.5	18	9	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2021

W 24–13

at Notre Dame

1 PD · 1 SOLO · 2 TOT

With D. Ridder — 297 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 81.3 · 26 rush yds (10 car) · 1 TD · M. Fletcher — 43 AVG · 47 LONG · 5 NO

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2021 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 49-14vs Miami (OH)	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 42-7vs Murray State	1	0	0.0	0.0	1	0
Wk 3	W 38-24@ Indiana	0	0	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 5	W 24-13@ Notre Dame	2	1	0.0	0.0	1	1
Wk 6	W 52-3vs Temple	3	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	W 56-21vs UCF	6	4	0.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 27-20@ Navy	1	1	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 31-12@ Tulane	3	3	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 28-20vs Tulsa	5	3	1.0	1.0	—	0
Wk 11	W 45-28@ South Florida	1	1	1.0	1.0	1	0
Wk 13	W 35-13@ East Carolina	8	8	0.0	0.0	—	2	Season-high 8 tackles
Wk 14	W 35-20vs Houston	2	1	1.5	1.0	—	0
Total		35	26	4.0	3.0	3	4

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology