Tennessee football: 5 biggest keys to Vols 2018 QB battle

5. Leadership

In almost any other system, this would be a much higher quality. Leadership? Isn’t that a given. Well, the unique thing about leadership under Jeremy Pruitt is it clearly means something different. And that’s what still makes it a factor.

Pruitt noted that Tennessee football will treat the quarterback position just like any other position. That means from offensive line to outside linebacker, they aren’t going to spend any extra time trying to find their starter.

With that in mind, it’s clear that the quarterback will not have to be the vocal leader for the Vols’ offense. The fact that he would be willing to use two quarterbacks serves as proof of that. But leadership still comes into play.

Tyson Helton is bringing the Vols back to a pro style offense. His focus is on creating mismatches. As a result, the leadership will be more about the ability for quarterbacks to get players in the right position. In a spread, it’s all about the quarterback himself making the right read with the ball. Now, they will need to make sure other guys are in the right spots.

On top of that, quarterback by its very nature requires leadership. So even if Pruitt says they’ll treat the position like any other, you can’t have a quarterback who isn’t vocal. And that’s why leadership is still a quality here.

In addition to being vocal, having the right level of intangibles to galvanize the players and a certain amount of patience are still regular factors to playing quarterback. So you can’t just throw leadership out the window.