Tennessee football: 10 major revelations from Vols start of spring practice

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
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Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images
Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images

1. The competition for starting quarterback is wide open.

Jimmy Holiday beginning spring practice at quarterback only adds to the drama that Tennessee football has at the position heading into this year. Jeremy Pruitt’s comments on Tuesday helped escalate that drama.

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When asked about the competition, Pruitt openly said that the Vols are looking at who will be the No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks. Sure, he touted Jarrett Guarantano’s experience while also bringing up Brian Maurer and JT Shrout playing last year, but his message was clear. The competition is wide open in the spring, and that’s intriguing.

In addition to Holiday, Maryland Terrapins transfer Kasim Hill, once a four-star quarterback who is a dual-threat, will be in the running. Then there is five-star freshman Harrison Bailey, another early enrollee. He is deemed the future of Rocky Top, and there’s a great chance he earns the starting job this year.

Six guys in the fight to start at quarterback makes this extremely interesting. It’s likely that Guarantano and Bailey are the top two guys, but Hill also has experience starting. Everybody but the two true freshmen have started a game at the Power Five level, including Shrout, Maurer and Guarantano just last year for the Vols.

As a result, Tennessee football is in for an epic quarterback race. It’s pretty clear that Guarantano is not locked in as the No. 1 guy, so he once again has something to prove. Three new guys in the competition could make it much more interesting.