Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano looks for a receiver during the Orange and White Game on April 21 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE - Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt said it may be three days into preseason camp or six weeks into the season when the team's top quarterback "asserts himself" and separates from a pack of challengers for the starting job.
"We have to figure out who gives us the best opportunity," Pruitt said, "and they will control that, not us."
If that assertion comes at the early end of Pruitt's wide time frame, a few thousand Tennessee fans will be there to witness it.
The Volunteers' open practice at Neyland Stadium on Sunday - the third day of preseason camp - will provide the biggest stage yet in the early going of a quarterback battle that will look dramatically different than it did the last time fans were inside the stadium.
During the Orange and White spring game on April 21, redshirt sophomore Jarrett Guarantano led the first-team offense while sophomore Will McBride directed the second-team offense. With the arrival of freshman J.T. Shrout and graduate transfer Keller Chryst, fans will have four quarterbacks to keep an eye on.
Tennessee senior quarterback Keller Chryst passes Friday at Haslam Field in Knoxville during Tennessee's first practice of the 2018 preseason.The top criteria for judging their performance, according to offensive coordinator Tyson Helton, is who can "manage the offense" best.
"You have to understand the game, you have to be able to manage the game, take care of the football," Helton said. "At some point in time, you have to make a big play. We don't care how you do it. I've had quarterbacks that they might have thrown ducks out there, but for some reason guys caught it and made plays with it. They just had a factor that when they were in the game, good things happened.
"So you have to attest for that, too."
During portions of Tennessee's first two practices open to media, Guarantano was the first quarterback up during drills, with Chryst next in line, a sign Guarantano is the early leader after his strong performance in the spring game and a summer spent organizing player-led 7-on-7 drills.
"I see a guy that has a live arm," Helton said of Guarantano. "He's a guy that is very athletic. He's a guy that really wants to be the starting quarterback here. He's passionate about wanting to be the guy for the University of Tennessee. I think he's grown as player from the time we've gotten here to today."
Tennessee freshman quarterback J.T. Shrout passes Friday at Haslam Field in Knoxville during Tennessee's first practice of the 2018 preseason.With Chryst, Helton sees maturity. The son of Denver Broncos assistant coach Geep Chryst and nephew of University of Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst is one of 11 redshirt seniors on Tennessee's roster.
"He walked in from day one, and he didn't say, 'Hey, I'm trying to be the guy here,'" Helton said. "He just wanted to be a good teammate, and that's what he's done all summer. Trying to learn the system, be a good teammate, work hard, and now you've got to take that out onto the field and compete."
Helton was quick to reiterate after answering questions about Chryst and Guarantano that it is a four-person battle at quarterback.
Recent history shows the importance of depth at the position for Tennessee. McBride enrolled last January as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart but started a game 11 months later, showing poise in a loss against Missouri after stepping in for the injured Guarantano in a win against Southern Mississippi.
In 2013, eventual star Joshua Dobbs began his freshman season fourth on the depth chart and was not on the travel roster. He was on track to redshirt before injuries and attrition forced him into a starting role late in the season.
Tennessee quarterback Will McBride passes during the Vols' game at Missouri last November."You look at Will McBride and what he brings to the table, or J.T. Shrout and what he brings to the table," Helton said. "A lot of people want to talk about maybe one or two guys - it's a four-man competition, and let the best man win."
When it comes time to make a decision, Pruitt will have the final say, Helton said. The two have not worked together before, and as a former longtime defensive assistant and defensive coordinator who's now a first-time head coach, Pruitt never has selected a starting quarterback.
Helton expects Pruitt to solicit feedback from the staff on the quarterback decision before the choice is made.
"He and I at some point in time will sit down, and he'll say, 'Hey, what do you think?'" Helton said. "At the end of the day, he'll make that decision, we'll all be on board with it, and we'll go from there."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.