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Tyner receiver turns heads at Alabama camp with electric 40 time

Staff file photo by Seth Carpenter / Tyner's Karontae' Cunningham, who will be a junior in the 2026-27 school year, is a well-established standout for the Rams in track and field, but his stock as a college football recruit is steadily rising thanks to the speed he has shown. Cunningham became a starter at receiver last fall.
Staff file photo by Seth Carpenter / Tyner's Karontae' Cunningham, who will be a junior in the 2026-27 school year, is a well-established standout for the Rams in track and field, but his stock as a college football recruit is steadily rising thanks to the speed he has shown. Cunningham became a starter at receiver last fall. Staff file photo by Seth Carpenter / Tyner's Karontae' Cunningham, who will be a junior in the 2026-27 school year, is a well-established standout for the Rams in track and field, but his stock as a college football recruit is steadily rising thanks to the speed he has shown. Cunningham became a starter at receiver last fall.

By Stephen Hargis 6 min read

It should come as no surprise that the Chattanooga area’s fastest-rising prep football prospect this summer is Tyner’s Karontae’ Cunningham.

Everything the class of 2028 athlete does is full throttle.

Cunningham’s speed is well established, at least locally and in Tennessee, after he swept the three individual sprint events at the TSSAA Spring Fling’s Class A track and field state meet as a sophomore this past school year while also helping the Rams to a first-place finish in the 4×100 relay.

However, Cunningham created a stir while attending a football camp at the University of Alabama earlier this week, when he turned in the fastest 40-yard dash time out of hundreds of players taking part.

After first being timed on a hand-held stopwatch at faster than 4.1 seconds, Crimson Tide coaches, knowing that was impossible, requested that Cunningham wear a timing vest so he could be tracked more accurately by laser. He was then clocked at a blazing 4.28 seconds, causing coaches and other athletes to become visibly impressed as they high-fived, whooped and hollered at Cunningham after he crossed the finish line.