Tennessee football: 5 freshman and sophomore Vols who could join XFL
Yes, we’re back to the secondary. Tennessee football would be set there for the future if not for the XFL arriving, as three of the guys likely to be starters in it this year are rising sophomores, and three other freshmen and sophomores have proven themselves to be worthy to be in the rotation.
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But among all those guys, nobody came close to making the splash Jeremy Pruitt’s first year that Bryce Thompson made. Another four-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class, Thompson was an athlete like Alontae Taylor.
Like Taylor, Thompson also burst onto the scene. He just did it on a larger scale, racking up 32 tackles, four tackles for a loss, a sack, four pass deflections, a forced fumble, and most notably three interceptions.
Pro Football Focus College graded Thompson higher than any other freshman cornerback in the nation, and his efforts earned him Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American honors. With all of those accolades, he’d probably be able to leave already had the XFL begun this year. The guy was that good.
Related Story. Ranking every Vols NFL Draft class this decade. light
But entering his sophomore season, Thompson is likely to remain as elite, and with more consistency in the secondary, he’ll have a chance to make more plays. So the Vols could easily lose him, as teams would love his talents.