Corey Hightower: CB · New Mexico · #96.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Corey Hightower
Doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. Played for two head coaches in three seasons at New Mexico. One game to point at: 7 tackles against Air Force — Week 5, 2021.
Play style
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
36 tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 1.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
KOB 4 Oct 15Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | New Mexico | 36 | 24 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2020 | New Mexico | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2019 | New Mexico | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 40 | 27 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 11 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-17vs Houston Christian | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 34-25vs New Mexico State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 0-34@ No. 7 Texas A&M | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 10-38vs Air Force | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 6 | L 7-31@ No. 25 San Diego State | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 7 | L 7-36vs Colorado State | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 14-3@ Wyoming | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 10 | L 17-31vs UNLV | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 11 | L 7-34@ Fresno State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 0-37@ Boise State | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 10-35vs Utah State | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 24 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
8%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
36tackles this season36 tackles · 1.5 for loss · 3 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2021 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 4.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road5g | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Danny Gonzales
Pass share
36.1%
260 pass / 461 run
Plays / game
60.1
12 games
Team sack rate
12.4%
267 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2021
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #217 at the position.
How it ended
Three seasons at New Mexico, 40 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2017–2021
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Bob Davie → Danny Gonzales. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
