Tennessee football: Vols top five sophomores for 2019
A four-star athlete commitment to Tennessee football in 2018, Alontae Taylor initially committed to Butch Jones. Then he pulled out of his commitment during the disastrous coaching transition towards the end of that season. But he committed again when Jeremy Pruitt took over, and he was a big pickup.
Taylor then moved into the secondary and became a breakout player last year at cornerback. As a freshman, he appeared in all 12 games, starting in nine of them. And he managed to make a major impact on the Vols in the process.
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Taylor had 40 tackles, a tackle for a loss, two passes defended, a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown against the Auburn Tigers. That ended up being key to the win. This year, he is settled into the starting role at one of the cornerback spots, so as he becomes a sophomore, he could become a star.
Given his mix of athleticism, physical abilities and emotional play, Taylor’s hype is extremely high this year. He’s part of why the Vols are expected to be very good and very deep in the secondary, and he has one of the three starting spots locked up…as a sophomore. So there’s no reason not to believe he could be elite, and he’ll be a sophomore Pruitt relies on heavily.