5 Vols whose stock improved based on spring game
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt sounded particularly morose during his postgame comments recapping the Vols’ spring game last Saturday, but the actual performance wasn’t all doom and gloom.
Here are five Vols whose stock should improve based on their play in the spring game.
QB Jarrett Guarantano
Guarantano missed on his first two pass attempts. Uh oh, right? Nope.
After a three-and-out on his first series, Guarantano looked sharp.
He was named the game’s most valuable player after completing 15 of 27 passes for 226 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
His stat line would have been better, too, if not for two fourth-quarter drops and a blown call that negated a wouldbe 23-yard reception by Josh Palmer along the sideline during the second quarter.
Guarantano’s best pass was a 29yard dart over the middle to Brandon Johnson on third-and-17, prolonging a drive that ended in a touchdown.
Guarantano wasn’t perfect. He missed a few open targets, and his awareness must improve, as evidenced when he held onto the ball too long and took a sack late in the second quarter. That 8-yard loss hampered a drive that ended in a final goal.
Guarantano took every snap with the first string. That, plus the stat lines — backup Will McBride completed 6 of 18 passes with two interceptions, working with the second string — indicate that Guarantano is in the driver’s seat for the starting job.
Of course, the quarterback competition will get more interesting once graduate transfer Keller Chryst arrives from Stanford this summer.
C Ryan Johnson
Johnson, who started four games last season, looks like a valuable piece on the Vols’ offensive line. He had no issues on snaps as Guarantano moved back and forth from shotgun to under center.
Although the Vols’ first-string line was inconsistent in pass protection, especially at the tackle spots, their run blocking was sufficient enough that UT averaged 5 yards per carry working behind the starting line. Johnson was a consistent force amid those efforts.
RB Tim Jordan
Jordan missed part of spring practice after having an appendectomy in March, but he quickly worked his way up the depth chart upon joining practice. He shared first-team reps with Ty Chandler during the spring game and produced 57 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
His highlight was a 29-yard run in the second quarter in which he ran through a hole up the middle before bouncing left to the sideline for a run that was the longest of the day by any player.
Chandler and Jordan look like they could be a good 1-2 punch, although Michigan State graduate transfer Madre London should spice up the competition upon summer arrival.
DL Kyle Phillips
Not much good can be said about the Vols’ starting defense, as it surrendered 34 points to the Guarantano-led offense. But Phillips was a bright spot. He was a disruptive presence who frequently overpowered the lineman across from him.
Phillips shuffled around on the line. He lined up as an end when the Vols used a 3-4 alignment but moved to the interior when the Vols were in a 4-2-5 nickel package.
Phillips made four tackles, including a sack, and he was named the team’s most improved defensive player during the spring.
S Theo Jackson
Jackson was johnny-on-the-spot when McBride’s pass that was thrown behind Tyler Byrd caromed off Byrd’s hands. Jackson corralled the ricochet for an interception and returned it 49 yards. He nearly had a second interception, snagging a pass from walk-on Bart Harris but landing out of bounds. Jackson also had a 13-yard punt return.
Jackson’s day included a blemish, as he had a pass interference penalty.
Nigel Warrior is a lock to claim UT’s starting strong safety spot.
Jackson also plays that position, but if he could transition to free safety, perhaps he could challenge for Micah Abernathy’s starting job.