JT Shrout, QB
Keller Chryst shouldn’t be the only backup quarterback the Vols trot out over the next two Saturdays. While Will McBride is a year older than JT Shrout, the true freshman flashed so much potential during fall that Tennessee’s coaches need to throw him out there against lesser competition to see if he can replicate those results in an actual game.
Shrout has a cannon for an arm, and he probably has the most pure arm talent of any of the four quarterbacks on UT’s roster right now. Tennessee’s staff would love to be able to redshirt him this year, but he can appear in up to four games this season and still retain his eligibility thanks to the new redshirt rules passed by the NCAA.
The rest of Tennessee’s non-conference games (ETSU, UTEP, and Charlotte) are perfect opportunities for Shrout to get some game action and learn the offense while still getting to redshirt this year. Shrout should see some snaps these next two weeks, and he could even give Chryst a run for his money as UT’s backup.
