Vols ‘plan to rep six’ QBS this spring
KNOXVILLE – Tennessee opened spring practice Tuesday with a longer quarterback repetition line than it has featured the past few years.
The Vols feature five scholarship quarterbacks this spring, led by senior Jarrett Guarantano, who started seven games last season. Sophomores Brian Maurer and J.T. Shrout also started games in 2019.
Behind them are early enrollee freshmen Harrison Bailey and Jimmy Holiday. Bailey, the highest-rated Tennessee quarterback signee since signing Guarantano in 2016, will start down on the depth chart behind the returners.
“There’s good competition there,” coach Jeremy Pruitt said after practice. “All those guys got lots of reps today.”
Among the walk-ons, Kasim Hill received the most reps during Tuesday’s open-viewing periods, working in between Bailey and Holiday.
“The plan right now is to rep six guys,” Pruitt said. “If there’s a point in time that we feel like maybe somebody eliminates theirself, then obviously we would get (down to) five, four, three — whatever it is.
“There’s going to be lots of opportunities for throws and to kind of create some chemistry on the offensive side of the ball.”
Guarantano is a 25-game starter who entered the spring as the man to beat for the job.
“Jarrett is a guy that has played a lot of ball,” Pruitt said, “and I think if you look at all three of those (returners), there’s a lot of positives that they do. We’ve got to eliminate the few mistakes that we’ve made over the last year. With another year in the system, that’s something they’ve been working on.”
Position change
Jordan Allen practiced with the tight ends after spending his previous two seasons at Tennessee as a linebacker. A junior college transfer, Allen did not play last season after suffering a torn hip flexor. He made six tackles in 2018.
The Vols needed tight end depth following the departure of starter Dominick Wood-anderson and Andrew Craig. Austin Pope returns as a runblocking tight end. He’s the Vols’ only option who has much playing experience.
Allen played wide receiver and tight end in high school before converting to linebacker in junior college.
“He wanted to move to the offensive side of the ball, and we know he’s got a skill set there, and we need some depth there,” Pruitt said.
Darel Middleton practices after court date
Defensive lineman Darel Middleton participated in practice, a day after making his initial court appearance on misdemeanor charges of domestic assault and public intoxication after allegations he twice shoved his girlfriend, causing her injury.
Middleton is due back in court for a March 30 preliminary hearing. The senior made 28 tackles last season and figures prominently in the Vols’ defensive line.
Cooper Mays out for the spring
Freshman offensive lineman Cooper Mays, one of the Vols’ four early enrollees, will be sidelined.
Pruitt said Mays had surgery shortly after enrolling this semester to repair a stress fracture in his right foot that he played with during his senior season at Knoxville Catholic.