Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano throws a pass during practice on Monday, March 11, 2019, at Haslem Field.
KNOXVILLE – Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano said recently that he felt himself getting weaker as the 2018 football season went along.
So he made changes to ensure that didn’t happen again.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound now unquestioned starter put on “20-25” pounds of muscle during the offseason, after a first year as a full-time starter in which he spent half of the season injured, due to repeated hits.
Guarantano threw for 1,907 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2018, including a streak of 166 passes without an interception, which set a school record. He typically was effective when playing, but there were a number of games he was unable to finish. He hopes the added weight makes him more durable.
“It was definitely needed,” Guarantano said recently. “I saw myself get weaker as the season went on, and I knew I had to put on a lot more weight; I think it was good. I’m faster, stronger and I’m able to get the ball out quicker with my hips, and I’ve been able to throw with more force.”
He is preparing to play for his fourth offensive coordinator, as Jim Chaney was lured back from Georgia to succeed Tyson Helton, who left after the 2018 season to be the head coach at Western Kentucky. Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt recently praised how Chaney has communicated with the players in meetings, and the players – including Guarantano – have expressed their excitement in the prospects on social media.
Some of that has carried over onto the field, as Pruitt said the offense “kicked the defense’s tail” in Monday’s practice. Having a now-experienced quarterback who has seen a lot was a big part of that.
“He has much more experience than the other guys,” Pruitt said of Guarantano. “I think with every young football player there’s a lot of unknown, so I think some of these younger guys, they possibly get a little uptight trying to figure it out. They’re all talented guys until you get out there and you’ve kind of done it a bit; it takes a while before it slows down.
“I think the game has really slowed down for Jarrett; he’s played a lot of ball, he’s taken a lot of hits, and we all understand that that really doesn’t bother him. I think he’s got a pretty good understanding for what we’re trying to do through three days, which he should. He knows how to prepare, so I think it’s really positive. That’s the way the quarterback position should be.”
Guarantano arrived on campus in the summer of 2016 with Mike DeBord as the offensive coordinator. He had Larry Scott during his first season on the field in 2017, which was followed by a year with Helton. Chaney makes four, and Guarantano has been shown a lot of different ways to prepare.
That appears to have helped him, and he enters his first season with Chaney with a lot of confidence.
“I’ve been through a lot of different football terminology, so it’s easier to pick up now that I’m in my fourth year,” Guarantano said. “I think I’ve gained some football knowledge; I have had a lot of different coordinators. It’ll only help in the long run, so it’s all for the good.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.