Auburn football: Rematch with Tennessee gives the Tigers a perfect chance for revenge

While edge rusher Darrell Taylor was great for the Vols last season, you could argue that safety Nigel Warrior was the team’s top defender as he ranked second in the SEC with four interceptions while also recording 60 tackles and a team-high seven passes defended.

Well, Warrior is now in the NFL and that’s a big hole to fill for Tennessee. However, the Vols have a great replacement with sophomore safety Jaylen McCollough. The former four-star recruit played fantastic last season and earned All-Freshman Team honors from Pro Football Focus.

At the other safety spot, junior Trevon Flowers and Theo Jackson are a solid duo and should battle for that spot.

The Vols also have a good bit of talent at cornerback. Senior Shawn Shamburger is coming off a productive 2019 campaign where he put up 47 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, three sacks and one interception.

However, the team’s top cornerback might be junior Bryce Thompson. Thompson was a Freshman All-American in 2018. Off-the-field issues have hindered him in the past (three-game suspension to start 2019) but Thompson picked off three passes in a single game last year against UAB and has All-SEC potential.