Jeremy Pruitt is fond of saying he’ll never place a player in a position the kid doesn’t want to play, but for two of Tennessee’s budding sophomore stars, there appears to be some grey area with the head coach’s sentiment.

When Alontae Taylor, a 6-foot, 193-pound product from Coffee County (Tenn.), and Bryce Thompson, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound standout from Dutch Fork (S.C.), arrived on campus as two of the more promising signees in Pruitt’s inaugural recruiting class both expected — and wanted — to play receiver for the Vols.

The former 4-star recruits were ex-playmaking quarterbacks in high school, planning to score touchdowns at Tennessee, not prevent them.

But Pruitt, one of the renowned defensive back whispers in college football, had other ideas. The veteran secondary coach has long believed in recruiting athletes like Taylor and Thompson to play defense because “those guys are used to having the ball in their hands.”

“In my experience, it seems like the guys who make plays on Friday nights will do it on Saturdays,” Pruitt said last fall.

Last offseason, Pruitt approached both players with his plan and Thompson was “fine” with the move, while Taylor claimed he was “shocked.” Ultimately though, Pruitt’s philosophy proved right, as Thompson ended up leading the Vols in interceptions (three) and pass breakups (seven) as a freshman, while Taylor forced a couple fumbles and had a scoop-and-score touchdown in the upset at Auburn

Entering a pivotal Year 2 in the program, Tennessee’s cornerback tandem is suddenly one the team’s preeminent strengths but the path getting there was rocky at times in 2018.

This time a year ago, Taylor shined in the team’s lone open practice of camp, while Thompson continued to create buzz behind the scenes. Pruitt and then-cornerbacks coach Terry Fair were in the midst of giving both freshman a crash-course in Cornerback School 101 during the preseason.

“This time last year (Alontae) didn't know a strong safety from a corner or a Cover 2 to a Cover 3,” Pruitt said. “We had 28 practices to get him (and Bryce) kind of ready to do that.”

According to Thompson, he and Taylor "went back to the basics.”

They learned what a kick-slide was. How to turn their hips properly. Foot-placement, and particularly important for Pruitt’s defense, how to effectively jam a receiver in press-coverage.

“It was a lot,” Thompson said.

But both players proved quick learners, and their competitiveness and strong practice habits only aided in the speed of their transition. Their knowledge of how offensive players think and move was an added resource, too, but Pruitt made sure their toolbox was full of proper techniques. Not cheats.

“He just makes it simple for you, so I don’t really got to use too many little cheats because he makes it so simple for you,” Thompson said.

“We talk concepts. The reason why we’re learning it. (Pruitt) just knows everything that’s going on, and I love seeing that in a coach. He’s hungry, like he’s just as hungry as us.”

Still, translating those lessons from the practice field to the limelight wasn’t so simple. Both are phenomenal athletes with some of the best raw attributes — speed, agility, ball-skills — on the team, but the freshmen defensive backs experienced a trial-by-fire going up against All-American quarterback Will Grier and his cadre of playmakers in Week 1 against West Virginia.

Taylor earned his first-career start and Thompson played plenty of snaps, too, and the Vols were torched for 429 passing yards and five touchdowns.

“It was tough, because coming from high school, you could cut it on and cut it back on just like that,” Thompson said.

“You just gotta get used to, you’re playing with other dogs. So, if you’re a competitor, it should make you compete. You should love that. That’s what I think it really had us doing. We got embarrassed on TV and we felt like we don’t want that to happen again. Me and Alontae tried to push ourselves as much as we can to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

But Pruitt didn't lose faith in his two young corners have one tough game. Following a strong week of practice, Thompson earned his first-career start the very next week and recorded an interception.

“We knew what was up,” Thompson said. “We knew what we had to do. It was definitely a wake-up call. We’re not in high school anymore. It humbled us real quick. … We have to have a short-term memory loss. That’s what we did.”

There were still ups and downs throughout the season for both players — Taylor was ejected from two games and Thompson had issues tackling at times — but by the end of the year, Thompson graded out as the best freshman cornerback in the country, per Pro Football Focus, and Taylor ranked fourth overall. Thompson earned Freshman All-American honors and Taylor started nine games and was a sticky-cover, allowing just two touchdowns all season.

“It took a little while,” Taylor said. “You have to be thrown out there and take it day-by-day. Make mistakes and just learn from your mistakes.”

It helped that they were going through this transition — a new school, a new position — together.

“It made everything easier,” Thompson added.

“That’s my boy. When I’m down, Alontae picks me up, and vise versa.”

With expectations now raised for both sophomores, Pruitt has challenged each player to elevate their game during camp this month. Taylor had a meeting earlier this summer “to pick Pruitt’s brain” on what he needed to improve upon. Pruitt called Taylor a “perfectionist,” and noted the sophomore must continue to know his assignments like he memorizes song lyrics. Tennessee’s head coach also openly opined at SEC Media Days that Thompson simply couldn’t be the “same Bryce Thompson in 2018 to 2019."

“He’s got to work (to do) to improve. He has to be better than he was as a freshman,” Pruitt said.

Tennessee’s wannabe wide receivers didn’t feel comfortable accepting they were a defensive player until “around midseason” last fall, but they’re both all-in now.

They understand, whether they want to vocalize it or not, that they’re the core of Pruitt’s 2019 defense. They’re one of the most promising and tantalizing tandems in the country, and if Tennessee can consistently play man-to-man on the perimeter, then the rest of Pruitt’s defensive wizardry could be unleashed.

“I feel like Coach Pruitt is the best defensive coach in the country right now,” Thompson said. “I’m proud to call myself a defensive back. That first year is a little shaky, you don’t know what to expect, but last year taught us a lot. It helped us with some of the losses and the wins. It helped us grow and mature a little bit quicker than we were supposed to.”