Tennessee football: Top 10 in-state Vols on 2019 roster

Now we go to the sure returning starters, and one of them was a freshman phenom last year. Alontae Taylor is half the reason Jeremy Pruitt has set Tennessee football up cornerback to succeed for the future. Bryce Thompson is obviously the other half, but he’s from South Carolina.

Anyway, Taylor was a four-star athlete when he committed initially to Butch Jones. Then he decommitted when Pruitt took over only to recommit. Under Jones, expectations were for him to play receiver. But Pruitt moved him to defensive back last spring, and it worked like a charm.

During the season, Taylor played in all 12 games and started in nine of them. He recovered a fumble in the end zone for the decisive touchdown that helped the Vols upset the Auburn Tigers, and he finished the year with 40 tackles, a tackle for a loss, two pass deflections and two forced fumbles. And he blocked a kick.

Simply put, he is a star coming from the southern part of Tennessee between Nashville and Knoxville. Taylor is the perfect guy to come from Coffee County, as his play gives the Vols a major jolt of energy similar to caffeine. This year, now more acclimated to the system, he could be a breakout star and match what Thompson was last season on the other side.