Quarterbacks
Nathanael: B-
He hasn’t been explosive a lot of the time, but Jarrett Guarantano has (mostly) gotten the job done for the Vols at quarterback. Tennessee has a lot of issues that need to be fixed, but Guarantano is pretty low on that list right now.
Guarantano has improved from last season on his accuracy and deep passes, but he’s still struggling to make more than just his initial one or two reads, and he’s still doing little to help himself when it comes to avoiding big hits. All in all, though, Guarantano has done what’s been asked of him this season, and he’s really only had one bad game so far. It’s hard to hate on him too much considering the circumstances, but his deficiencies are what give him the minus on the “B” in my judgement.
Keller Chryst hasn’t really impressed when he’s been called into games, and I didn’t really factor him into my grading of the quarterback position.
Ben: B-
Jarrett Guarantano has actually had a solid start to the season despite the offense’s deficiencies and his record as the starting quarterback. A large part of his struggles have been due to offensive line struggles and a vanilla offensive game plan.
Yes, Guarantano has only thrown for 801 yards and four touchdowns, ranking 12th and last in the SEC, respectively. But what’s more indicative of his play this season is his 63.4 completion percentage, slotting him sixth in the SEC, ahead of the likes of Jarrett Stidham, Drew Lock, and Feleipe Franks.
According to Sports Info Solutions and David Ubben of The Athletic, Guarantano is throwing 85.2 percent of his passes from the pocket on target as catchable balls, compared to just 73.2 percent a year ago. So, yes, Guarantano hasn’t been overly impressive, but he’s improved from last season. With improved offensive line play and more trust from his coaches, Guarantano is capable of leading a prolific offense.
One Response
No way the QB gets a B-. UT has a QB that has no feel for the game, cannot read defenses, and has no running ability. JG is the worse QB in the conference behind the worse line in the conference.
I grade him a D- at best, just due to the fact he has improved from last year in the “throw game” (but not by much) and is playing behind this horrible offensive line.
With this team, we need a true mobile QB that can make plays with the legs. I would bring Jennings back to QB and let him run the team against Auburn, Miz, Kent, Charlotte, and Vandy. We have no chance with JT.
RECRUITING A QB IS A MUST.