Corey Ballentine (born April 13, 1996) is a Jamaican professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Washburn Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influenc ...

, and was selected by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

in the sixth round of the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April ...

. He has also played for the New York Jets,

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

, Atlanta Falcons, and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

College career

After playing at

Shawnee Heights High School Shawnee Heights High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Tecumseh, Kansas, east of Topeka, Kansas. The school colors are red, white and turquoise and the school mascot is the Thunderbird. The average annual enrollment is a ...

, Ballentine played college football at Division II

, Ballentine played in 46 games after almost quitting the team in the summer before his freshman year. He primarily played on defense but also served as the team's kick returner and blocked four field goals. Ballentine won the

Cliff Harris Clifford Allen Harris (born November 12, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. A Pro Football Hall of Famer, he appeared in five S ...

Award after the conclusion of his senior season, which is given annually to the nation's top small college defensive players. He was also named a 2018 second-team AFCA All-American. After his senior year, Ballentine was invited to the

2019 Senior Bowl The 2019 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game played on January 26, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. CST, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2019 draft of the professional National ...

, where he drew attention for his speed. He also participated in the 2019

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

Professional career

New York Giants

Ballentine was selected by the

in the sixth round (180th overall) of the

. On November 10, 2020, Ballentine was waived by the Giants.

New York Jets

Ballentine was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on November 11, 2020. He was waived/injured on August 23, 2021, and placed on injured reserve. He was released on September 15.

Detroit Lions

On September 16, 2021, Ballentine was claimed off waivers by the

. He was placed on injured reserve on October 15. He was activated on November 18, 2021, then waived the next day and re-signed to the practice squad.

Atlanta Falcons

On January 12, 2022, Ballentine signed a reserve/future contract the Atlanta Falcons. He was waived on August 30.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 7, 2022, the

signed Ballentine to their practice squad. He was released off the practice squad thirteen days later.

Green Bay Packers

On September 28, 2022, the

signed Ballentine to their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 12. On March 20, 2023, Ballentine re-signed with the Packers.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Personal life

Ballentine was born in

Montego Bay, Jamaica Montego Bay is the capital of the parish of St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore, all of which form the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area, h ...

and moved to the United States at six years of age. While at Shawnee Heights and Washburn, Ballentine ran track while playing football, setting Ichabod records for various indoor and outdoor sprinting events. In the early morning hours of April 28, 2019, the Sunday following the

, Ballentine was injured in a shooting in Topeka while he was attending an off-campus party. Ballentine's college roommate and defensive backfield teammate Dwane Simmons was killed in the shooting.

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bioWashburn Ichabods bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballentine, Corey 1996 births Living people American football cornerbacks Atlanta Falcons players Detroit Lions players Jamaican emigrants to the United States Jamaican players of American football New York Giants players Arizona Cardinals players Green Bay Packers players Sportspeople from Montego Bay Players of American football from Kansas Sportspeople from Topeka, Kansas Washburn Ichabods football players Shooting survivors