Tennessee football: Vols stock report following Week Three of 2019

Stocks to buy

Quarterbacks

Jarrett Guarantano raised lots of concerns by throwing two passes that should have been intercepted on Saturday. But he was seven-of-eight with three touchdowns before going out of the game, so even with those two plays, he still showed marked improvement. There is still major room for growth, but it’s clear as to why he’s Tennessee football’s starting quarterback.

Meanwhile, the backups looked bad. But they had silver linings. Despite J.T. Shrout going three-of-nine and throwing a pick that was called back, he made all the right decisions. His issue was just controlling his passes. Meanwhile, Brian Maurer didn’t complete a pass. But he showed very good mobility and an ability to keep defenses on their heels. So they showed hope despite struggling.

Secondary

The Vol defensive backs were not able to stand out as much as the linebackers or special teams units, but they were elite on Saturday as well. Nigel Warrior finally showed what he could be by coming away with an interception, and Kenney Solomon did that later in the game as well. Their coverage played a huge role in racking up four interceptions, even if Jeremy Banks got two.

As a whole, the unit held Chattanooga to 76 passing yards despite Nick Tiano being declared a potential FCS NFL prospect. They were solid the week before against the BYU Cougars before the major lapse, so the lesson here is that this group, even without Bryce Thompson, has significantly been improving. Keep an eye on what they do against the Florida Gators.