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Tennessee Football: Jarrett Guarantano Doing Everything Right Off the Field to Win Vols Starting QB Job

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Neyland Stadium home of the Tennessee Volunteers on the banks of the Tennessee River prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Neyland Stadium home of the Tennessee Volunteers on the banks of the Tennessee River prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee football redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano is doing everything right off the field to win the Volunteers starting quarterback job.

He still has never taken a snap in FBS play. However, Jarrett Guarantano is doing everything right off the field to win the Tennessee football starting quarterback battle.

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News recently broke that Guarantano is spending spring break on the West Coast to study with quarterback guru George Whitfield. Whitfield has a complex in San Diego. He has developed a reputation as a quarterback genius, which is why many NFL stars seek his help.

Rhiannon Potkey of the Knoxville News Sentinel said that Guarantano joins a group of quarterbacks who are spending the week with him.

Whitfield has a quote in Potkey’s story on Guarantano that only makes him look better.

"“He doesn’t talk about having that spot. He just says he knows he has to go to work,” Whitfield said. “For a kid that has grown up with a lot of self-confidence, he has been very humble about what is coming around the corner. It’s good to hear he is taking that ground-level approach to this shuffle.”"

This is just the most recent move Guarantano made to show he is doing everything right off the field. And that’s big in the battle to earn the starting quarterback job for Tennessee football.

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Obviously, Quinten Dormady’s experience backing up Joshua Dobbs for two years gives him an early advantage. And there’s a very strong possibility that Guarantano won’t win the starting job in practice.

But it’s not for a lack of doing everything possible to prepare himself to win the job.

Guarantano has already spent a year in the system. Also, according to Wes Rucker of GoVols 247, he spent all of last year doing everything Joshua Dobbs did.

By the way, Dobbs also went to work with Whitfield.

On top of both of those things, Guarantano has shown himself to be a great ambassador for the university.

On Signing Day in 2016, Butch Jones specifically praised the quarterback’s loyalty in another Wes Rucker article on GoVols247.

Also, Guarantano has gone out of his way to recruit for Tennessee football.

In 2015, he spent time recruiting hard for the Vols after he committed to the school. Brian Dohn of Scout had an article about that in August of 2015. 

And Guarantano has been embracing the quarterback competition this spring, not running from it.

Rhiannon Potkey had another article in the Knoxville News Sentinel back in January quoting his father, James Guarantano, who said he is eager to begin the competition.

"“No doubt there has been a bounce in his step recently more than ever before,” James Guarantano said last week. “Nothing ever changed with him as far as showing up and trying to get better every single day, but he’s just super excited for the opportunity to have a legitimate chance to compete for a starting spot.”"

So if you’re keeping score at home, Jarrett Guarantano has recruited heavily for Tennessee football, he stressed loyalty to the program, and he has embraced the upcoming quarterback competition.

Those are all amazing intangibles for the university already. But on top of that, he is not taking any breaks either.

Spending spring break with George Whitfield only further proves how dedicated he is to winning the job.

Add in the fact that he was already a four-star dual threat recruit in high school and spent all of last year emulating Joshua Dobbs, and he could not have done anything better to prepare for the starting quarterback battle.

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Dormady may have the experience. Sheriron Jones may even have more experience. And Will McBride may be in the mix too.

But Guarantano has been in the spotlight more than all of them to prepare for the battle.

As a result, when it comes to doing things outside of practice, Guarantano has won so far.

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