Tennessee football: Top 10 out-of-state Vols on 2020 roster

Hometown: Lodi, N.J.

How do we define Jarrett Guarantano? It’s almost as if you have to yank him for a drive or not start him if you want him to perform at a high level. Tennessee football started the season 1-3 with Guarantano. Then they benched him, and coming off the bench, he led them to wins over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, South Carolina Gamecocks, UAB Blazers and Kentucky Wildcats.

To be fair, Guarantano had his best game as a starter, throwing for over 400 yards at the Missouri Tigers, and he then beat the Vanderbilt Commodores. But in the Gator Bowl against the Indiana Hoosiers, he was benched with the team trailing by two scores. All he did after that was come in and lead two touchdown drives for the Vols to win 23-22.

What’s clear is Guarantano is clutch. And he began to develop under Jim Chaney down the stretch of last year. The improvements on the offensive line allowed him to be more reliable as well. He did complete 59 percent of his passes for 2,158 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and he average over eight yards an attempt for the second straight year.

For his career, the 6’4″ 215-pound veteran out of Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey has completed over 60 percent of his passes, is averaging right at eight yards an attempt and has 5,062 yards with 32 touchdowns and only 13 picks. This is the first year in which he is playing under the same offensive coordinator. So he could shine this year beyond what people expect.