Tennessee football: Jarrett Guarantano is proving he is an SEC quarterback
Sophomore quarterback Jarrett Guarantano has caught his fair share of criticism the past year. However, this season his play is keeping people quiet, sort of.
The quarterback position is viewed a lot as a head coach. When things are rolling, and the team is winning the quarterback gets a lot of praise. But, when things are bad, the quarterback gets a lot of blame. It’s the price quarterbacks pay to play one of the most vital positions on the field.
Last season, Jarrett Guarantano was only apart of two wins where he attempted more than ten passes. And, after the 4-8 finish to the season, many fans washed their hands with the freshman quarterback. Most claimed he wasn’t the answer and never will be. “Most” in this context is referencing the twitter warriors that don’t know what they are talking about. The truth is he wasn’t the reason for such a disastrous season.
If you weren’t impressed with Guarantano last season that’s fine, his numbers weren’t exceptional, but they weren’t inadequate either. He finished the season 86-of-139 for 997 yards with four touchdowns and only two interceptions.
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Fast forward to this season, and it looks like an entirely different Guarantano. Through the first three games of the season, he is 39-of-54 for 494 yards and has thrown two touchdowns with zero interceptions. He’s 72.2 percent passing percentage is good enough for second best in the SEC only behind Georgia’s Jake Fromm.
I don’t care who you are playing, completing 72 percent of your passes is always considered good. Along with the high completion percentage, Guarantano is fantastic at protecting the ball. He is only one of four SEC quarterbacks that haven’t thrown an interception this season. The other three quarterbacks are Joe Burrow (LSU), Kellen Mond (Texas A&M), and Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama).
Furthermore, Guarantano ranks sixth in the conference with a 161.29 QBR rating and sixth with passing yards per attempt. And, we haven’t even touched on the fact he appears to be a better leader in the huddle and on the sidelines.
Next. Top 5 Vols performers vs. UTEP Miners. dark
If you aren’t impressed with the new and improved Jarrett Guarantano, I’m not sure what will change your mind. With the new coaching staff, there is no telling just how good the former four-star prospect can be. If he continues on this projection, Guarantano will go from the quarterback fans doubted to the quarterback fans love.