No matter where his football career has taken him, Alontae Taylor has never forgotten where he came from. Now back in his home state to begin the next chapter of his NFL career with the Titans, the Manchester community got the chance to express its gratitude to him Saturday morning.

The newly-signed Tennessee cornerback received a plaque of recognition from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce prior to the start of his annual Chosen One Homecoming Football Camp at Carden-Jarrell Field. The plaque was presented to him in honor of his impact on the area’s youth and also congratulated him on getting the chance to continue his professional football career with his home state’s NFL team.

“It means a lot to me. As a kid, I think you always have dreams, right? I think one thing my family’s always instilled in me is just giving back and leaving a mark,” Taylor said. “So for them to give me that award and to just receive it means a lot to me, because it’s just one small token of the impact that I am leaving for the kids and the community here.”

After an illustrious high school career with the Red Raiders from 2014-2017, Taylor spent the next four years playing collegiately at the University of Tennessee before being selected 49^th overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2022 NFL draft.

After four seasons in New Orleans, Taylor signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Tennessee Titans in March during the 2026 free agency period. In addition to bringing him back to Middle Tennessee, the signing also brought Taylor closer to the community that has always had his back over the course of his football journey.

“They (Manchester and Coffee County) mean the world. It’s where I got my opportunities. Rest in peace to coach (Ryan) Sulkowski, a coach who believed in me, a coach who worked his tail off to get me exposed and get other players as well exposed to teams. If it wasn’t for this place, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Taylor said. “I could’ve went to any other high school, could’ve went anywhere I wanted to, but I planted my roots here and I’m seeing it all come to play now.”

This year’s edition of Taylor’s youth football camp was held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Carden-Jarrell Field. The annual free event is open to athletes ages 6-18, with participants taking part in a variety of drills and learning important football fundamentals over the course of the morning.

Through this camp, Taylor added he hopes to inspire the next generation of local athletes to be all that they can be.

“Coming back and seeing kids who look like me, seeing kids who come from a small community like myself and just giving them faith and hope. I know if I was a kid and a Tennessee player or Saints player, whoever it is, came and threw a camp here, I would have been excited, so I just know these kids are super excited and I look forward to being around with them,” Taylor said. “But obviously just coming back myself, just taking in the stadium, the moments. Like I said before, I’m just trying to leave the biggest impact here in Manchester and make sure that every kid knows that if you work hard and you take advantage of your opportunity, the sky’s the limit.”