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Tennessee football’s top five options to replace Alontae Taylor

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 defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) runs onto the field at the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230
Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) runs onto the field at the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Bowl Cm 1230 /

Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Kamal Hadden. player. Redshirt junior. 6'1 190 pounds. 2. 839

Alontae Taylor’s departure before the Music City Bowl moved Kamal Hadden into the starting lineup for Tennessee football.

One of Kevin Steele’s moves of all people was luring Kamal Hadden away from the Auburn Tigers as a transfer. He had just committed to Auburn as a junior college transfer but then backed out after Auburn fired Gus Malzahn, who ironically replaced Josh Heupel as head coach of the UCF Knights. All of that landed Hadden with Heupel.

Anyway, Hadden was immediately the No. 3 cornerback for Tennessee football last year, and he was thrust into the starting lineup as the No. 2 cornerback in the Music City Bowl. Despite some real issues in that game, he did come away with an interception.

For the year, Hadden had a pass deflection, a forced fumble, two tackles for a loss and 17 total tackles, 13 of which were solo, along with that pick. He showed flashes of being elite, and those flashes may allow him to move up to the No. 1 cornerback before it’s all said and done.

Like so many other players, including De’Shawn Rucker, Hadden had to miss spring ball, so he’s got some catching up to do in fall camp, and that could hurt him when it comes to stealing this starting job. However, he’s still a rare talent with plenty of experience, so he’ll almost certainly be in the rotation no matter what. Getting the No. 1 spot is a real possibility.

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