Why Hurts might consider transferring to UT
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee Vols fans should keep an eye on more than one quarterback competition this preseason.
UT’s competition between returning starter Jarrett Guarantano and Stanford transfer Keller Chryst might be front and center. But don’t forget about the more high-profile competition at Alabama, where Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa are vying for the starting position
Hurts has led the Tide to two consecutive national championship games. But Tagovailoa, not Hurts, came off the bench to win last season’s national championship game against Georgia.
Jalen Hurts transfer a possibility
Whoever loses that competition — and I’m guessing it will be Hurts — surely will transfer. In media interviews last Saturday, he expressed displeasure with how Alabama coaches had handled the situation.
His tone in those interviews made you think he's more apt to transfer. And if he does transfer, perhaps he would consider Tennessee.
An appropriate question at this juncture: Why would a quarterback who has played for two national championships have any interest in playing for a program that went 0-8 in the SEC last season? That would be a drawback. Tennessee lost more in one four-game stretch last season than Hurts has in his college career.
I’m not sure what new UT coach Jeremy Pruitt’s sales pitch could be to Hurts, but I’m guessing that “winning isn’t everything” wouldn’t work. Maybe, this would: “Tennessee won’t be bad forever.”
The Vols might not have a single senior starter on offense this fall. The most likely senior to start would be Chryst, a graduate transfer.
Why Hurts could play for Vols
No matter who starts at quarterback for the Vols, he surely wouldn’t scare off Hurts, who made first-team All-SEC as a freshman in 2016. Tennessee hasn’t had a first-team All-SEC quarterback since Tee Martin in 1999.
Tennessee also would have familiar faces in its favor.
Offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy joined the Vols this summer as a graduate transfer from Alabama. Hurts’ former teammate has two years of eligibility remaining.
Hurts also would recognize Pruitt, who was Alabama’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
And Tennessee’s offensive system would be familiar to Hurts. It’s basically the same pro-style, power-running game that coach Nick Saban has going full force at Alabama.
What Hurts could do for Vols
As much as Pruitt has emphasized the running game in his brief time at Tennessee, he surely wouldn’t mind having a running threat at quarterback, particularly one who runs as hard and fast as Hurts. Much like former Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs, Hurts has been durable as well as effective.
Another prominent Hurts quality that Pruitt would value: He protects the football.
In two seasons at Alabama, Hurts has thrown 10 interceptions, including nine in 2016 when he started as a freshman. Last season, he threw only one interception.
And although he’s not as good a passer as Tagovailoa, Hurts has completed 61.9 percent of his passes.
Something else Hurts would have in his favor: He’s on pace to graduate from Alabama in December and would be eligible to play in 2019 if he transferred.
That’s just another reason for Tennessee fans to be hopeful about Alabama’s quarterback competition.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.