Tennessee will be down to three scholarship quarterbacks this fall as redshirt sophomore Sheriron Jones has received his release and will be leaving school, according to a report from recruiting analyst Ryan Bartow.
https://twitter.com/RyanBartow/status/859461309083078656
Jones has retweeted the report as well.
This will be the second time Jones has left Tennessee after he briefly departed from the program following the 2015 season and transferred to Colorado. He reversed course a matter of weeks later and decided to return to Knoxville. He was able to do so without losing eligibility due to an NCAA rule that permits players who change their mind shortly after transferring to return to their original school without penalty.
He likely won’t be coming back this time, however.
That leaves Tennessee thin at quarterback as the Vols look to replace Joshua Dobbs in 2017. Junior Quinten Dormady and redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano are the top contenders for the starting job, but behind them, true freshman Will McBride is now the only other scholarship option. Walk-on Zac Jancek is also on the roster.
And with at least the potential that the loser of the quarterback battle could seek a transfer of his own, that scenario would leave Tennessee with just a pair of scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in 2017.
That makes finding at least two quarterbacks in the 2018 recruiting class even more important. The Vols currently have one quarterback commitment, Michael Penix, in the 2018 class, and are considered the favorites for four-star California signal caller Adrian Martinez at this time as well.
Jones leaves Tennessee with just one game appearance – Tennessee Tech in 2016 – and one pass completion in one attempt. Jones was 1-of-4 passing in the Orange and White Game this spring and added a seven-yard run in his limited opportunities.
