KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee football program announced Wednesday that it will be represented by Jarrett Guarantano, Daniel Bituli and Darrell Taylor at the Southeastern Conference media days next week in Hoover, Alabama.
The senior linebackers and junior quarterback Guarantano will accompany head coach Jeremy Pruitt in speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon. Each of the three players will be making his first appearance.
Guarantano threw for 1,907 yards and 12 touchdowns last year in his first season as a full-time starter. He broke the school record for consecutive passes without an interception with 166 and finished the season with only three pickoffs. According to an ESPN story, he was one of the nation's top quarterbacks under pressure in 2018, completing 57% of his passes at 9 yards per attempt when under pressure.
Bituli led the Volunteers in tackles for the second straight season, totaling 79 stops including 6.5 for loss. Taylor led the Vols with eight sacks, the most of any returning player in the SEC. Four of those sacks came against Kentucky in a 24-7 upset victory over the 11th-ranked Wildcats in Knoxville, and three came on the road at No. 2 Georgia.
The Tennessee group is scheduled to speak in the second session Tuesday, following Texas A&M.
Georgia and Ole Miss representatives will speak during the morning session on Tuesday.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.