2. Figuring out who should play quarterback
Here’s one thing we didn’t think we’d bring up heading into the bye. After all, everybody expected Jarrett Guarantano to be the guy this year after starting for half of 2017, beating out a graduate transfer senior to start all of 2018 and then winning MVP of the 2019 spring game.
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But after putting in all three quarterbacks against the Chattanooga Mocs and then giving Brian Maurer a real chance at the start of the second half against the Florida Gators, there’s a very good chance that Tennessee football has a quarterback controversy on its hands. That’s something to be expected after a 1-3 start and 34-3 loss.
Jim Chaney and Jeremy Pruitt have work to do here. Well, so do Tee Martin and Chris Weinke. Should the Vols stick with Guarantano, who has the bigger arm and can withstand hits in the pocket, or should they make the switch to Maurer, who is faster and makes quicker decisions?
Or could they even give J.T. Shrout a look, who probably makes the best decisions of all of them but does not have the right touch on any of his passes? This is a big question for the coaches and something they need to address during this bye week. And honestly, we have no way of knowing which direction it will go.
The Vols still have a clear favorite and a clear No. 2 option at this point. But they opened pandora’s box by making the switch at Florida. Now they’ve got to keep it open through the bye week to see if anybody else emerges.