Seniors: None
Juniors: None
Sophomores: Jarrett Guarantano, Will McBride
Freshman: None
Outlook:
Tennessee will have just two scholarship quarterbacks on roster when they take the field for spring practices. They’ll be adding two more players to the mix this summer and fall, but for now it’s just Jarrett Guarantano and Will McBride along with a handful of walk-ons at the position.
For Guarantano, this is his most important spring yet. He needs to go out and show Tennessee’s new coaches he has what it takes to lead the Vols’ offense and get a leg up on grad transfer Keller Chryst before he joins the competition in the fall. Guarantano looked solid at times as a redshirt freshman last year, but he also had periods of indecision and poor play.
The rising redshirt sophomore will need to show improved confidence, poise, and understanding of college offenses this spring. Learning the Vols’ new offense will be imperative, and he’ll need to display better consistency.
McBride got a chance to start one game last season due to injuries to Tennessee’s other quarterbacks, and he looked fairly competent especially considering what little he had to work with in that game. If he can come out and learn to tighten his mechanics and improve on his throws, he has a legitimate shot of taking down Guarantano this spring and supplanting him as the main rival for Chryst in the fall.
Many seem to think that McBride won’t be a good fit for this offense. But he was a capable gunslinger in high school and was by far the most mobile quarterback on the roster last year. With the condition Tennessee’s offensive line is in right now, mobility is a big plus for the Vols’ quarterback.
The battle for Tennessee’s starting quarterback won’t be decided this spring, but one of these two QBs could use this spring as a way to impress their new coaches and assert themselves as the player to beat ahead of the two new additions later this year.
Initial Projected Depth Chart:
Barring McBride having a phenomenal spring, Guarantano will likely be the top quarterback this spring. But that could all change once fall comes around.
Check out our previous position preview piece on the Vols’ running backs
