He was born in Amarillo, Texas and grew up in Bushland, Texas. He went to Bushland High School where he completed 283 of 437 passes for 3,815 yards and 46 touchdowns his senior year, 270 of 503 passes for 3,219 yards and 23 touchdowns his junior year, and 167 of 325 passes for 2,140 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore. He also played basketball, baseball, and track in high school. The Amarillo Globe-News chose him as their Athlete of the Year his senior year in high school. He is revered in his hometown.
College career
Cornelius was a backup quarterback behind Mason Rudolph in 2016 and 2017. He was seldom used until his final year of eligibility. His receivers included Tylan Wallace and Tyron Johnson, a five-star recruit out of high school who transferred from LSU to Oklahoma State to play in a more wide open offense. Cornelius had five touchdowns against Texas. At the beginning of the 2018 season, head coach Mike Gundy made it clear that Cornelius would be the starting quarterback over transfer Dru Brown and true freshman Spencer Sanders. In the first game of the season, Cornelius led the Cowboys to a 58-17 win over the Missouri State Bears, a game in which he threw for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns. His first real test came on September 15th in a game against the 17th ranked Boise State Broncos. Cornelius threw for 243 yards and 1 touchdown while adding the game-sealing touchdown on the ground. This win bumped the Cowboys up to number 15 in the Associated Press rankings. After losing 3 of the next 4 games, the Cowboys sat at 4-3 when the Texas Longhorns came to Stillwater. Cornelius shined on national TV, throwing for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns and adding 2 more rushing touchdowns en route to a 38–35 win. Two weeks later, the Cowboys went on the road to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the yearly Bedlam Series. Cornelius went toe-to-toe with future number 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. He threw for a Bedlam school record 501 yards and 3 touchdowns. On the last offensive play of the game, Cornelius under threw star wideout Tylan Wallace, ending any upset bid the Cowboys had going. The very next week on November 17, the 9th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers visited Stillwater for the final home game of the year. On Senior Day, Cornelius led Oklahoma State to a come from behind upset victory over the Mountaineers, out-dueling Will Grier. He threw for 338 yards and 5 touchdowns and had 106 yards rushing and 1 rushing touchdown. This is widely considered to be his greatest game as a Cowboy. After a season finale loss against TCU, Cornelius led the Cowboys to the Liberty Bowl against Drew Lock and the Missouri Tigers. The Cowboys would win this game to finish 7–6, with Cornelius throwing for 336 yards and 4 touchdowns. He ended his 2018 season with 3,978 yards and 32 passing touchdowns, both ranked in the top 10 nationally. Cornelius is third in single season touchdowns at Oklahoma State, behind Mason Rudolph and Barry Sanders.
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, Cornelius participated in rookie camp with the Green Bay Packers and received a contract. He did not make the final roster. In October 2019, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Vipers in the 2020 XFL Draft. In his first career start during the second week, Cornelius passed for 154 yards with two interceptions, making 16 of his 27 pass attempts. Trailing by 8, Cornelius managed to get the Vipers to the Seattle 28 yard line, but threw an interception as time expired, securing a 17-9 victory for the Seattle Dragons. In his second start, against the unbeaten Houston Roughnecks, Cornelius was 16/31 throwing for 193 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 33 yards and a score. In the end, Cornelius threw the game-sealing interception with about 1 minute left, leading to a 34-27 victory for Houston. In week 4 the winless Vipers took on the DC Defenders. Cornelius was 24/31 throwing for 211 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 36 yards and a score. Led by a strong running game and solid defense, the Viper shutout the Defenders 25-0 for their first victory. In Week 5 against the 1–3 Los Angeles Wildcats Cornelius was 22/34 throwing for 300 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for another score. Although holding a 24–6 lead in the second quarter, the Vipers were outscored 35-10 the remainder of the game. Late in the game, Cornelius led the Vipers to LA 7 yard line, but threw another game-sealing interception. LA hung on for a 41-34 victory. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 XFL season was cut short after 5 games. The Vipers finished with a 1-4 record, in last place in the east division. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
Professional statistics
Personal life
His parents are Phyllis and Warren Cornelius. Olympic swimmer Josh Davis is his cousin, as are football player Brandon Green and former University of Oklahoma baseball player Casey Bookout.
