Alabama Game Week Scouting Report: Tennessee Cornerback Alontae Taylor

There's turnover, and then there's what the University of Tennessee team has gone through the end of last season. 

With former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt fired in January after NCAA recruiting issues came to light, and Josh Heupel lured away from UCF as a late hire, a lot of Volunteer players didn't stick around. 

In addition to those who saw their eligibility expire another 25 exited via the transfer portal. 

Among those who didn't leave was cornerback Alontae Taylor, who may have been the most important player in the locker room as the Volunteers got off to a 4-3 start, 2-2 Southeastern Conference, which was more than respectable considering that Tennessee only returned 12 starters.  

"We knew that it was a big dent into our team when everything happened," Taylor said. "Talking to those guys, those guys reached out to me, I reached out to those guys and just wished them the best. I'm big on making sure you do what's best for your family and yourself. 

"Seeing those guys go was hard just because we built that relationship, and from that, we'll have a family forever. As far as why did I stay, I'm the third in my family to go to college, and I told my mom that I would get my degree before I left. I tried to get that in three years last year, but it didn't really work that way. That was one reason. And the second reason was this is my state. I'm from the state of Tennessee, and the University of Tennessee means a lot to me."

Alontae Taylor

Jersey: No. 2
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6-0
Weight: 192
DOB: 12/3/98
Draft eligible: 2022
Hometown: Manchester, Tennessee
High School: Coffee County Central 

Background 

Raised in Winchester, Tennessee, moved to Manchester in fourth grade. Four-star recruit according to 247Sports. Full name is Alontae Devaun Taylor. Has two sisters. Names his late grandmother as his biggest motivator. Dreams of visiting Africa. Roommate is safety Trevon Flowers. Grew up playing baseball and football, focussing solely on football after his freshman season in high school. Was a dynamic quarterback at Coffee County High School, totaling 8,225 yards of total offense and 75 touchdowns. Enrolled early and began his career at wide receiver. Started eight games as a true freshman. Played in eight games despite battling a nagging hamstring injury in 2020. Was selected to the SEC Football Leadership Council in 2020 by his peers. Communications studies major. Academic standout. 

Pros

Long outside cornerback who has experience in zone, off man and press coverage. Taylor plays with excellent competitive toughness in coverage and run support. In press, he is physical, landing his hands to disrupt and redirect opponents. When he has inside leverage, Taylor uses the sideline, forcing receivers towards it. He runs the alley aggressively and can blow up blocking wide receivers. Hitting like a safety, he makes his presence felt on ball carriers. Excellent mental alertness is present as he trusts his eyes and triggers quickly. Taylor is confident to stay square from off, allowing him to break on passes. He can flip his hips and plays with his knees bent consistently. Changing directions well thanks to good lower body flexion, he is able to recover quickly. Taylor possesses very good speed to carry wideouts vertically. At the catch point, he gets his head around and uses his excellent length to make plays on the ball from behind. He baits quarterbacks in underneath zones.

Cons

Feisty nature gets the better of him at times where he gets grabby. When matched up with slower receivers, Taylor is susceptible to looking back for the ball too early in man coverage. Being out of control after turning around prevents him from getting interceptions at the catch point. Occasional false steps in off and press will be exploited by better athletes. Coming in high can cause him to miss tackles.

Summary

Wiry cornerback with excellent length, competitive toughness and mental alertness. Taylor can play in press, off man and zone. He is confident and physical with lower body flexion and long speed to cover. His run defense stands out. That aggressiveness can cause him to get grabby as his inexperience at the position shows. Taylor projects as an early starter in a press man scheme, although he could be a fit in any defense. He can be a very good starter if he can play under control consistently in coverage.

Grades

7.9 (current value)/8.9 (potential value)

BamaCentral Analysis 

When a player shows up at SEC Media Days and not only calls being there fulfilling a childhood dream, but having it on his goal list, we can't help but like him. Another factor is he's serving as the Vice Chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council, and  spent a week in Belize in July as part of the VOLeaders Academy. The senior was a preseason All-SEC third-team selection by the media and coaches. This is his fourth straight season as a starter. While Alabama has won the last three meetings by scores of (in order) 58-21, 35-13 and 48-17, in all three cases it wasn't the Crimson Tide's leading receiver who led the team against the Vols. For example, while DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy, John Metchie III had the biggest day against UT. The two previous games it was Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle. For the season, Taylor has one interception, five passes broken up, and a forced fumble. He's fifth in team tackles with 30.  

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All this week, BamaCentral will profile numerous Tennessee players as the Crimson Tide prepares to host the Volunteers at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. Also check out NFL Draft Bible for more evaluations.