One reason Trevon Flowers will have a great chance to shine is because of the help he’ll have. Nigel Warrior speaks for himself, but then there’s Baylen Buchanan to help out at nickel and lock off the slot. Finally, UT will have two young, athletic cornerbacks who made a splash for Tennessee football last year.
Alontae Taylor is one of those guys. A four-star athlete in the 2018 recruiting class, Jeremy Pruitt moved Taylor over to cornerback last spring. Early on, Taylor showed off his athletic ability and became one of the top players on the team.
As a freshman, Taylor played in 12 games and started in nine of them. He did it all, racking up 40 tackles, including a tackle for a loss, along with two pass deflections and two forced fumbles. Taylor also scored a defensive touchdown that was the difference in the game against the Auburn Tigers.
This year, he should be more refined, and with more consistency behind him at safety, he’ll have more freedom to make an impact. With that happening, Taylor could emerge into a superstar as well, and at that point, once again, the XFL could come calling. With his raw athletic talent, Taylor is one guy who could immediately become a breakout player in that league.