The three biggest letters in college football this offseason aren’t SEC, they’re NIL. Across the county student athletes are finally cashing in on their name, image and likeness thanks to numerous new state laws and a relaxation of restrictions from the NCAA. But Tennessee senior cornerback Alontae Taylor, a Coffee County alum, isn’t one of them. Taylor told the media assembled at SEC Media Days in Hoover, AL he’s turned down several NIL opportunities as his focus remains on success on the football field.
“I actually haven’t tapped into Name, Image and Likeness a lot,” he said. “Right now, my focus is camp, and my focus is getting ready for the season. I know it’s kind of late, me being a senior I kind of look at it as kind of late down the road for me, so I actually haven’t tapped into the NIL very much. Do I plan on that? I don’t have an answer for that, but right now my focus is camp and this team and just making sure we are what we need to be.”
However, that doesn’t mean he’s discouraging his teammates from getting in on the action.
“I’m really excited for those guys, and I’ve talked to those guys about making sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, make sure you’re checking in all the things you’re supposed to, checking all the boxes that need to be checked so that you don’t run into any problems later on down the road.”
In addition to focusing on preparing for his senior season Taylor also remains busy with various non-NIL off field endeavors. He’s a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and is part of both Tennessee’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the SEC Football Leadership Council, for which he was the vice chair in 2020-21.
Taylor and the Vols open preseason camp August 4th and kick off the season September 2nd vs Bowling Green. You can hear Tennessee football LIVE all season long on The Rooster 101.5!
