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New Jersey quarterback Jarrett Guarantano committed to Tennessee in New York-style fashion on Wednesday afternoon, and most fans know he’s a consensus four-star recruit, according to all the major recruiting services.
He’s more than all that though. He’s the perfect fit for the offense Butch Jones is running at Tennessee, and here are a few film clips to show why that is the case.
Keep in mind that this is all from his highlight film. These films are designed to show the best plays from a high school career and sometimes shield many of the forgettable ones. That’s why collegiate coaches have to go the extra mile to do their research on some of these players. He’s not a perfect player, and he’ll need some polishing before being ready to thrive in the SEC.
But what we see on Guarantano’s film are tools that show that he at least has the potential to do what Jones needs him to in Tennessee’s offense.
1. Arm Strength/Deep Ball Accuracy
Nice accuracy on this deep ball from Guarantano https://t.co/UTqmAIME2V
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) April 16, 2015
This has been one of the areas the Vols really haven’t had any kind of consistent success since quarterback Tyler Bray departed. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important in Jones’ offense. A lot of the routes in UT’s offense are based on timing and precision, but having the ability to stretch the defense vertically helps everything else open up. Being able to make throws like what Guarantano does in the above clip will make defenses hesitant to run too much straight man, and it can beat Cover 2 as well if he’s able to fit a pass into the “gap” between the corner’s flat responsibility and the deep safety over top.
2. Athleticism
Think Butch can work with this https://t.co/hLzeHtVFgK
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) April 15, 2015
Jones says he doesn’t have to have a scrambler to run his offense. He’s right in the sense that he doesn’t have to have one, but as we saw with Joshua Dobbs last year, having a top-tier athlete at quarterback opens many things up and gives the offense a new dimension. Guarantano can certainly do that. Much like Dobbs, he’s a very fluid runner who has a gift for finding a way out of tight spaces, and then turning on the jets when he hits open field. He’s tough too, and won’t mind lowering his shoulder if he needs to, though UT coaches may want to curtail that a bit.
And he does more than scramble for yards. He does a good job using his feet to extend plays in the backfield, helping out his offensive line and then keeping his eyes downfield for open receivers.
Like how JG uses his feet to extend plays and keeps his eyes down the field https://t.co/OPX7PaZzLa
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) April 16, 2015
3. Decision Making/Quick Release/Short Accuracy
Quick release, perfect accuracy and a strong arm are shown here by JG https://t.co/nvmyMMl1V3
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) April 16, 2015
This might be the most important part of his game in terms of what Tennessee does. The deep throws and athleticism will get the attention, but making good decisions and then executing the routine short-to-intermediate throws is the lifeblood of Tennessee’s passing game. There are dozens of examples of him doing just that on his film, but I chose the one above because it’s a fourth-down situation that he converts flawlessly.
He knows what he’s looking for before the snap, sees the linebacker float out towards the running back in the flat, wastes little time and throws a dart into the open window with perfect accuracy that allows the receiver to seamlessly make the catch and then make a move to turn it into a bigger play.
