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Tennessee football: Ranking every starter from 2020 who returned by performance in 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) high-fives fans after defeating South Carolina 45-20 in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football
Tennessee defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) high-fives fans after defeating South Carolina 45-20 in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football /
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Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel hugs defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel hugs defensive back Alontae Taylor (2) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /

Senior. Alontae Taylor. 2. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Defensive back. player

6’0″ 195 pounds

If this were just about the best player all year, Alontae Taylor would top this specific list. He started at cornerback for three years alongside Bryce Thompson and waited his turn to become Tennessee football’s No. 1 cornerback. Fully healthy this year, a big reason Kenneth George Jr. saw much less action, Taylor made the most of that opportunity.

Taylor started all 12 games in the regular season. True to form as an elite cornerback, he didn’t rack up the stats he could have because people didn’t throw his way. He finished the year with two interceptions, including a pick-six, to go along with six pass deflections, a forced fumble, a tackle for a loss and 60 total tackles, 41 of which were solo.

There’s a reason Taylor’s PFF regular season grade of 82.7 was higher than anybody else’s on defense, and it was actually the second highest regular season grade of anybody in general. Hendon Hooker was No. 1, but he wasn’t a returning starter.

In spite of all this, we couldn’t put Taylor at No. 1 because he backed out of Tennessee football’s Music City Bowl game to focus on the NFL Draft. Now, he shouldn’t be condemned for that, but the final spot here was close between him and another guy, and that has to be the tiebreaker.

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