Tennessee football: Five concerns for Vols 2020 offseason

4. The quarterback situation is not as clear-cut as it seems.

Despite the love for Jarrett Guarantano and what he did down the stretch of this past season, Tennessee football does not have the consistency at quarterback in needs heading into Jeremy Pruitt’s third year. Remember, Guarantano did not start for six games this year, and he was pulled in two other games at different points due to poor performance.

Brian Maurer started four games, and J.T. Shrout started two. Despite all the things Guarantano did to turn around the team, fans still called for his benching after he struggled early on in the Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers, causing the Vols to fall into a 16-6 deficit. Pruitt pulled him for a series in that game, and after he went back in, the deficit increased to 22-9.

Of course, Guarantano earned back all the goodwill by leading a very quick comeback with two touchdown drives to win 23-22. However, that fickle situation could easily be overturned with another offseason. Pruitt and Jim Chaney need to work to make sure that Guarantano, or somebody else for that matter, is clearly the starter going into 2020.

The arrival of five-star quarterback Harrison Bailey only exacerbates that situation even more. If Guarantano, a redshirt senior, struggles even a bit next year, everybody will want this highly-touted freshman thrown in. It’s not the best situation to be in, and it’s all based on the rotation of starters last year. UT needs to address this.