Struggles a 'shock' to Tennessee's QB

HOOVER, Ala. -- Things at Tennessee haven't gone the way junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano expected when he signed with the Vols as a four-star recruit out of Lodi, N.J., in 2016.

Tennessee went 9-4 the season before Guarantano signed, and finished 9-4 again when he redshirted as a true freshman. Since then, it's been rough for the Vols.

Tennessee slid to 4-8 in 2017 -- the Vols' fewest victories since they were 4-7 in 1977 -- and Butch Jones was fired as coach.

The Vols had some notable victories under Coach Jeremy Pruitt last season when they won 30-24 at Auburn and 24-7 at Kentucky, but they finished 5-7 by losing to Missouri 50-17 and at Vanderbilt 38-13.

"Nothing that's happened," Guarantano said at SEC media days last week when asked about his expectations playing for Tennessee. "So it's definitely been a shock to me. I think every kid going into college expects a lot of success, and then it's a culture shock. But I'm happy I went through this process, honestly.

"Being able to get those games under my belt has helped me out. I've seen a lot of different things in this league.

"It's the best league in the country, so every week's a challenge. I've learned from everything that's happened, and I'm excited for what the future holds."

Guarantano has gotten plenty of on-the-job training with 18 starts in the previous two seasons, including all 12 games last year when he passed for 1,907 yards and 12 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.

"Jarrett's a guy that I believe in, I have confidence in," Pruitt said. "He has lots of arm strength. He has talent with his feet. He can extend plays. He's a tough guy.

"The football game comes easy to him. He can handle a lot. He can change plays at the line of scrimmage, and he can get us in the right protections. But the most important thing is Jarrett has the respect of his teammates and his coaching staff."

Pruitt, a former defensive coordinator at Georgia and Alabama, said Guarantano has developed into a team leader.

"I was frustrated when I was younger," Guarantano said. "I wasn't getting the things that I wanted.

"I had to learn from that. It's been a maturation period, and it was definitely a good thing I went through it, because I needed it."

Jim Chaney, who was Arkansas' offensive coordinator in 2013-14 and had the same position at Georgia the previous three seasons, now has that job at Tennessee for the second time. He also was the Vols' offensive coordinator from 2009-12.

"I think Coach Chaney has implemented a lot of different things that are going to be successful," Guarantano said. "Me and him have a good relationship.

"You look at his resume, and he's been excellent at a lot of different places. To be able to have him here, I think he's going to be able to put us in the best position to have success, and he's going to get people the ball who really need to have the ball in their hands."

Georgia has won two consecutive SEC East titles and is favored to win a third, but Chaney received a big raise to leave for Tennessee. After making $950,000 at Georgia last year, he signed a three-year contract with Tennessee that will pay him $1.5 million this year, $1.6 million in 2020 and $1.7 million in 2021.

"Jim's a guy that's a very good communicator," Pruitt said. "He's a great teacher. He's a good evaluator. He works well with people.

"Having a chance to listen to him talk to our coaches and our players, he's very personable. A really good teacher. He's done it in the SEC a bunch of different ways, whether it was the last few years at Georgia where they ran the ball a lot, or at Tennessee before where they had a lot of balance.

"Jim's a guy that figures out who his best players are, and he finds a way to get them the ball. We're excited to have him."

Pruitt said he was impressed by Chaney when going against him in SEC games.

"When you go against guys in this league, you know who gives you problems, who don't," Pruitt said. "Jim's a guy that, in my opinion, is one of the best guys in the country."

Guarantano and Chaney should be helped by a bigger offensive line.

"This time last year, we had two guys on the offensive line that weighed over 300 pounds, and now we have 15," Pruitt said. "Does that make you a football player? No, it doesn't.

"But I can assure you this: In this league, when you start putting people up front, it helps to have large men."

If the line gives Guarantano some protection, he has playmakers to get the ball to in running back Ty Chandler (630 rushing yards last season), wide receiver Marquez Callaway (37 catches for 592 yards) and tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson (17 catches for 140 yards).

Five starters are back on defense, led by senior linebackers Daniel Bituli (79 tackles last season) and Darell Taylor (8 sacks).

Pruitt has turned over play-calling duties on defense to Derrick Ansley, who was in the NFL last season as the Oakland Raiders' defensive backs coach. He worked with Pruitt at Alabama in 2016-17 as the Tide's defensive backs coach.

This season will be the first time Ansley has been a defensive coordinator, but he has Pruitt's trust.

"Derrick's a guy that if I start a sentence, he can finish it," Pruitt said. "He's one of the very bright minds in all of college football."

Sports on 07/23/2019