Tennessee football: 5 biggest keys to Vols 2018 QB battle

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3. Pocket presence

Pure athleticism is not going to be a factor in Tennessee football’s new offense. Although Jeremy Pruitt has coached for Nick Saban and seen him use mobile quarterbacks with the Alabama Crimson Tide, the offensive coaches he worked for preferred pocket passers.

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Jimbo Fisher had Jameis Winston during Pruitt’s one year with the Florida State Seminoles, and then he went to the Georgia Bulldogs, where Mark Richt used Hutson Mason and Greyson Lambert in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Taking a look at Tyson Helton’s track record, and it’s clear that being a dual-threat won’t matter.

What does matter, however, is mobility inside the pocket and pocket presence. Part of this is timing with being able to make quick strikes. But for guys with bigger arms looking to go to big play receivers, Helton clearly wants somebody who can stand in the pocket.

This is one of the things that got the coaches going after JT Shrout on the recruiting trail. After two years of working with Sam Darnold, Helton clearly wanted somebody who could stand better in the pocket. He had to deal with Darnold’s happy feet and proneness to turnovers.

Now, running the show himself, he needs a guy who can stand tall in the pocket and make the right throws. He had just that with Brandon Doughty while coaching for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, even if he didn’t have the big receivers.

This year, he clearly wants and has both. Now, coming from the Jeff Brohm and Bobby Petrino mold, Helton isn’t going to spend a ton of time focusing on developing pocket presence. But in running his system, it will be a major advantage for the person who has it.

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