Every Arizona Football All-American in history: Cornerback Antoine Cason

The Arizona Wildcats are far from the most storied college football program in Division I, and they don't often churn out early-round NFL draft picks. Occasionally though, a player comes along whose greatness is nationally recognized while suiting up in the Red and Blue with the 'Block A' on the helmet.

Six Arizona Football players have been recognized as unanimous first-team All-Americans and 12 as consensus All-Americans. In this series, we'll look at all their Arizona careers position-by-position. Though we've already looked at cornerbacks Darryll Lewis and Chris McAlister, another cornerback earned consensus All-American honors, was Arizona's last first-round draft pick before Jordan Morgan in 2024, and sits fourth on the Arizona interceptions leaderboard.

Antoine Cason

Cason, a 6-foot-1 three-star prospect out of Los Alamitos, California, played for Arizona for four seasons from 2004-07. He earned a spot in the starting rotation as a freshman in 2004 and immediately made a huge impact. He led the team with four interceptions, finished second with 70 total tackles and three forced fumbles, and third with six pass breakups and 5.5 tackles for loss, leading to an All-Pac-10 honorable mention in his debut season as a Wildcat.

As a sophomore, Cason's production dipped slightly but the accolades didn't. His 50 total tackles ranked fourth on the team and he only notched 2.5 TFLs. However, he did still play in all 11 games in the 2005 season and finished second on the team with five pass breakups and three interceptions. This brought his career total to seven picks through just two seasons, and he earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors.

He returned to his 2004 form as a junior in 2006, finishing third on the team with 70 total tackles. His three interceptions were tied for a team lead and he was the only one to return an interception for a touchdown for the Wildcats that season. He also finished second on the team with seven passes broken up. He was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team and was a semifinalist for the 2006 Jim Thorpe Award. Despite being draft-eligible, Cason opted to return for a final season in Tucson.

Cason's college career peaked when he was a senior in 2007. He finished third on the team with 71 total tackles — a career-high — and paired it with four TFLs and a sack. He led the team with an absurd 14 PBUs, doubling his total from the season prior. He also led the Wildcats with five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns to lead the conference and finish fourth in the nation.

He also took over for Syndric Steptoe at punt returner as a senior, receiving 27 of them for 271 yards and two touchdowns, which led the Pac-10 and was second in the nation. Against then-No. 2 Oregon, Cason returned both an interception and a punt for a touchdown to seal a 34-24 win. Cason was named to the All-Pac-10 First Team, was named a consensus first-team All-American, and earned the 2007 Jim Thorpe Award for college football's best defensive back — becoming the second Arizona player to earn the prestigious award.

Following his stellar 2007 season, Cason was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 27th overall pick. He carved out a seven-year career in the NFL where he played in 14 games every single season before a foot injury caused him to miss the 2015 season and he retired. No matter how unceremoniously his pro career ended, he'll always be an Arizona legend for his four years of locking down the Wildcats' secondary.

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