Tennessee football: 10 safest starting spots on 2020 roster

Cornerback

Alontae Taylor and Kenneth George Jr. could end up alternating time at the other cornerback position, even if Taylor has been the starter most of the time. Meanwhile, safety is wide open with the departure of Nigel Warrior, the return of Trevon Flowers from a season-ending injury, the late emergence of freshman Jaylen McCullough and the consistency of Theo Jackson.

When it comes to one position in the secondary, however, there are no questions. Bryce Thompson will clearly be Tennessee football’s main cornerback. He has no competition, and with Warrior gone, the 5’11” 190-pound product of Dutch Fork High School in South Carolina is now expected to become the superstar among the defensive backs.

Thompson had three interceptions and earned Freshman All-American honors in 2018. He followed that up with three interceptions, albeit all in one game, in 2019 and not allowing a touchdown in coverage all of last year. Simply put, this guys is an elite cornerback, and if he weren’t suspended early last year, he may have earned All-SEC honors.

That suspension, though, is why he’s not higher on here. Thompson has already shown he could be prone to off-the-field issues, and while he’s certain to be the starter to begin the season, there has to be a bit of banking on the fact that he won’t do anything to cost him playing time. If he doesn’t, though, he’s locked into that cornerback spot.