Is this a surprise? No underclassman made a bigger impact for Tennessee football in Jeremy Pruitt’s first year than Bryce Thompson. He may have been as elite as the three senior defensive linemen for the Vols.
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Thompson, who was a four-star athlete like Alontae Taylor, showed early on he was meant to play cornerback. His physical play along with his versatility and ability to snag interceptions were all major pluses last year.
They all also resulted in Thompson achieving Freshman All-American honors and becoming the highest-rated pro prospect for the Vols. Those are huge honors as a freshman and show just how great he could be.
For the year, Thompson had three interceptions, four pass deflections, 32 tackles, four tackles for a loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. He also showed himself to be very dangerous as a returner, logging four kickoff returns for 100 yards.
Simply put, Thompson did it all as a cornerback. Also, similar to Taylor, since he was an athlete, he should have more time to work on he fundamentals of playing cornerback this offseason. He was already a bit ahead of Taylor in that regard, but this is still a chance to take another huge leap.
Together with Taylor, Thompson should help set Tennessee football up to be in great shape for the future at cornerback. They can shut down both sides of the field, and that should make this pass defense among the best in the nation for at least the next two years. Thompson, though is the star entering spring at this moment. Thats’s why we made him No. 1.