Redshirting Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano takes part in warmups for the Music City BowlKNOXVILLE - Though he grew up in New Jersey, Tennessee's 2017 football season opener against Georgia Tech in Atlanta will be a homecoming for Jarrett Guarantano.
And the redshirt freshman would love nothing more than to make his debut as the starting quarterback for the Volunteers.
"I have a lot of family in Georgia," Guarantano said Wednesday during the official signing day show Tennessee streamed on its website. "My parents and my sister recently just moved down, so they're 10 minutes away. I'm going to have the opportunity to have my first game right in front of my family and have people come down and stay by my mom's house.
"I've thought about it, and I can't wait."
It's a long way between now and September, though, and Guarantano will have to navigate a crowded offseason competition with three other quarterbacks: junior-to-be Quinten Dormady, rising redshirt sophomore Sheriron Jones and freshman Will McBride.
For all intents and purposes the battle primarily will be between Dormady and Guarantano, considered the most talented potential successors to Josh Dobbs.
"They all have the right mindset," said new quarterbacks coach Mike Canales. "They want to come in and show great work ethic. I know they're working extremely hard in the weight room. You see them training in the indoor (complex), and they're working on footwork things and those type of things. I know they're excited to get going. I'm excited to get going with them.
"We've been talking about the core values of the quarterback positions and the things we're looking for - toughness and grit, great decision-making, big-play ability. Those types of things we're going to look at, so as a group I'm excited to get with them, I know they're excited to get with me and I think we'll have a great relationship."
As the backup to Dobbs the past two seasons, Dormady will have the advantage in experience, but it's only a slight one. The Texas native appeared in 10 games and threw 39 passes in those two seasons, and more than half of those throws came against Football Championship Subdivision opponents. Dobbs' durability limited Dormady's opportunities.
"I've waited a couple years here behind Josh and learned a lot from him," Dormady said, "so now that I'm going to get my opportunity to showcase what I can do, I'm excited."
Arm strength and accuracy are not an issue for the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Dormady, but whether he's a true fit in Tennessee's read-option offense is the question, one from which he doesn't shy away.
"I think that's the way the game's going now," he said. "You've got to be able to run a little bit, but that's obviously not my strong suit. But if I've got to do it, I'm ready to do it."
Guarantano took the logical approach and knew he wasn't going to be a factor in 2016, so he took his redshirt year as an opportunity to shadow Dobbs and learn as much as he could about what it takes to be the quarterback at Tennessee.
"He did a great job over his career," Guarantano said, "and I thank him for helping me out and taking the time out that he did for me in making me a better player and person at the same time."
Often Guarantano would sit next to Dobbs on the bench during games. He tried to soak up as much as he could.
"That was me just making sure that he saw the same exact thing that I saw," he explained, "because I have a lot better view from the sideline. (I was) making sure that we're all straight, we're getting the best opportunity, we're getting the best play call possible. Being able to go over defenses and hearing his analysis and what he saw also helped me out throughout the game.
"When I would go after the game and go watch the film, I would say, 'OK, this is what he was talking about and this is why he did the things that he did.'"
Guarantano believes his trial year has prepared him for the competition in the coming months.
"I came in last year not as mature," he said. "I kind of just said, 'You know what, I have a year to learn.' I took my time with everything and learned the offense throughout the time. Practice was a big part for me. I kind of took practice like the games, but coming into this year it's a lot of different.
"I'm definitely going into more film, more what can I do on my footwork and just trying to get better each and every day, knowing that if I have the chance to play and if I have the chance to start, that I'm going to take that chance and run away with it as much as possible. I'm very excited. I can't wait until spring ball. and I know it's going to be a great competition."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.