KNOXVILLE – Baylen Buchanan slipped out of the secondary rotation in 2017 while battling injuries, but the junior cornerback is grading out as one of the Volunteers’ top defenders so far in 2018.
“I thought this was one of Baylen’s better games,” coach Jeremy Pruitt said Monday of Buchanan’s performance in the 47-21 loss to Florida last Saturday.
Buchanan made five tackles and had only one negative play that stuck out in Pruitt’s Monday evaluation.
“He’s one of the guys that I saw that I felt like answered the bell a little bit,” Pruitt said. “I can remember one play in the game that I thought he could’ve done better on the ball down the sideline. He played a lot of press coverage and guarded guys really well. Baylen has talent, and he’s gaining confidence, so that’s a good thing.”
Buchanan’s career appeared promising in 2016 when he appeared in all 13 games and started one as a true freshman. Then came the injury-plagued 2017 campaign in which three seniors and a junior played the most at cornerback.