Jarrett Guarantano didn’t have the type of redshirt freshman season he would’ve liked with Tennessee. He got his chance to start midway through the season, but he and his team found little success. Guarantano only won one of his six starts at quarterback last season, and the Vols went 4-8 overall and 0-8 in SEC play.
Heading into his redshirt sophomore campaign, Guarantano is in a battle for Tennessee’s starting quarterback job yet again. Last year, he was fighting with Quinten Dormady for the spot and ultimately lost the battle to start the year. This time, he’s fending off Stanford grad transfer Keller Chryst for the position.
Guarantano has embraced the competition, and he’s doing everything he can to improve his game. And that included attending the Manning Passing Academy this past weekend.
Peyton and Eli Manning held the 23rd annual Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana this past weekend. Guarantano was just one of several Power Five quarterbacks in attendance, including West Virginia’s Will Grier, Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham, South Carolina’s Jake Bentley, Missouri’s Drew Lock, Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, and Wisconsin’s Alex Hornibrook.
Guarantano may not have won the main quarterback challenge that ended the camp, but he did stand out according to reporters who were there.
According to an article from Brody Miller of NOLA.com, Guarantano drew some “impressed looks” during the throwing portion of the camp. The coaches and counselors on the sidelines at the event were from high school, college, and even some from the NFL.
Alex Hornibrook from Wisconsin won the actual competition, but Guarantano still did enough to be mentioned with other standouts such as fellow SEC quarterback Drew Lock, Colorado’s Steven Montez, and Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson.
Guarantano himself thoroughly enjoyed the event, tweeting out a picture of himself with both Peyton and Eli while adding that the academy was a “dream come true” for him.
A dream come true, and a wonderful experience the past few days. Life is amazing. pic.twitter.com/IvxJ0Wlbhd
— Jarrett Guarantano✞ (@BroadwayJay2) June 24, 2018
As a redshirt freshman, Guarantano completed 61.9 percent of his 139 pass attempts for 997 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions while also adding a score on the ground. He’ll look to build off his summer experience and his progress in the spring when Tennessee’s fall camp begins on August 3rd later this year.
