Every new coach hired this offseason faced the added challenge of dealing with the first ever early signing period. It had to have been an incredible challenge for every new hire, as hiring a staff and recruiting had to be managed simultaneously leading up to the December signing period.

One of the coaches that managed that tough situation the best was Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt. While he may have aced that initial test, the one thing the Volunteer coaching staff failed to do was sign an elite cornerback prospect. With that being one of the biggest holes on Tennessee’s roster heading into 2018, Pruitt is getting creative to find talented players to fill the void.

With four-star South Carolina prospect Bryce Thompson having his enrollment delayed in Columbia, the Vols swooped in and added the Irmo, South Carolina native to the roster. While it was initially unclear where Thompson would play in Knoxville, Pruitt revealed his final 2018 signee will start his UT career on defense.

To help with the team’s overall depth in the defensive secondary, four-star Tennessee receiver signee Alontae Taylor will also apparently start his career on the defensive side of the ball — as he’s listed as a defensive back in the team’s recently released media guide. Taylor was an early enrollee with the team and went through spring practice participating on both sides of the ball.

Here’s what Pruitt had to say at SEC Media Days in regards to both his four-star signees.

“Both of those guys are really good athletes, they have good ball skills. They can run,” Pruitt said. “I had Alontae in the spring, he actually worked wide receiver and defensive back. Bryce, hadn’t had him in a practice yet, but just based on his high school tape, we are going to start him off as a defensive back and we will go from there.”

Had Tennessee signed more defensive back prospects, there’s a chance both players would begin their careers at receivers but they will go into fall camp on defense. While both could eventually end up on offense, given Pruitt’s eye for DB talent and his ability to develop All-Americans from the position, both may be wise to stick to defense if they plan to play on Sundays.