KNOXVILLE – There’s probably been no player as maligned over the past couple of seasons at Tennessee than Jarrett Guarantano.
Quarterbacks usually get too much credit and too much blame, so a 6-12 record as a starter ultimately will fall at the feet of the signal-caller. He didn’t make enough plays; he did this wrong; he did that wrong. Mistakes that are largely overlooked when the team is winning.
The changes to the roster – from the coaching staff to the players surrounding him – suggest that Guarantano’s third season as a starter could be by far his best. The Volunteers will start this season with a new offensive coordinator (Jim Chaney) and a new quarterbacks coach (Chris Weinke, a former Heisman Trophy winner). The bigger, retooled offensive line will feature many new faces, as only one player who started the 2018 season finale – right tackle Marcus Tatum – is expected to start Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game against Georgia State at Neyland Stadium.
Three of the four other line positions could be manned by players not on the active roster at the end of last season: freshman Wanya Morris at left tackle, junior left guard Trey Smith and senior center Brandon Kennedy. In addition, freshman Darnell Wright is expected to play.
“I think that I’m a better football player than last year,” Guarantano said. “I think that comes with a lot, though. I think Coach Weinke did a great job with myself and the other quarterbacks talking about footwork and progression reads, and just knowing where to go with the ball. Obviously, Coach Chaney’s offense has helped me, and I’m excited to see what I can do during the season and see what the offense can do.”
That offense, under Guarantano, has sputtered. In each of the past two seasons, the Vols have finished outside of the national top 100 in total yards per game. Maybe Chaney, Weinke and the offensive line will help.
But conversations with coaches and players suggest the biggest reason big things are expected from the 6-foot-4, 213-pounder goes beyond those changes and his own enhanced physical stature. It’s been the improvements in consistency and between the ears – as well as the improved ability to make more plays due to more confidence – that have many excited about his potential this season.
“Jarrett has worked really hard, so when he makes a call, I go with it,” Kennedy said recently.
Said receiver Jauan Jennings: “I’m excited to see JG this year. He’s a great quarterback, and I can’t wait for him to lead us.”
Head coach Jeremy Pruitt, Chaney and Weinke (and to a lesser degree, receivers coach Tee Martin, another former quarterback) have done what they can do to challenge Guarantano. Chaney has an open dialogue with Guarantano to determine which plays the pair believe will work the best in games. Weinke has challenged him to be more consistent and take over as a leader on the team. Martin and Guarantano talk about any number of things pertaining to Martin’s playing experiences when he was the quarterback leading Tennessee to a national championship in 1998.
They’ve put him in untenable situations in practice in hopes of simulating live action. They’ve challenged him to be more consistent. They’ve challenged him to be a leader.
“This is a QB-friendly offense, but it also puts a lot of responsibility on the quarterback,” Weinke said. “He has done an outstanding job of grasping this and continuing to make progress.”
It remains to be seen where that progress will lead.
“I think the guys around me are a lot better players, and I think I’m a lot better player,” Guarantano said. “We’ll see during the course of the season, but I’m excited initially and I think it’ll be a good year for us.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.