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Tennessee football: Vols top 5 returning underclassmen for 2019 spring practice

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 10: Ty Chandler #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers takes a hand off from Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 24-7. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 10: Ty Chandler #8 of the Tennessee Volunteers takes a hand off from Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 24-7. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

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.

Next. Ranking all 10 assistants on Vols 2019 staff. dark

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.

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