These position breakdowns will have the players listed in alphabetical order for simplicity's sake. I will go through each position group, only combining the specialists into a single category. This isn't focused on who should start or anything of that nature. It will be player stats, strengths, and weaknesses heading towards summer workouts. To keep things easy to read, I won't cover walk-ons unless a walk-on is likely to earn a place in the rotation. Beyond that, I will be sticking to scholarship players. Some weights will be estimated based on believed weight gains, in part due to the removal of weight information on the official roster.
Keller Chryst, 6-5, 234 - The former Stanford Cardinal will spend his final season of college eligibility working to earn the starting job for the Tennessee Vols, and he will be easily the most experienced passer on the roster. During his time at Stanford, he played in 23 games with 13 starts, going 11-2 as a starter. He passed for 1,926 yards, 19 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions. He also ran for 164 yards on 66 carries with 3 touchdowns. The talent is clearly there. He can move when he needs to, but he is comfortable standing in the pocket and delivering a pass. He has plenty of arm strength, but his accuracy has been problematic at times, as evidenced by his 55.4% completion rate. That completion percentage will need to see improvement, and Chryst will have to display mobility unless the offensive line for the Vols gets healthy and blocks better than they were able to last season, when the quarterbacks were getting hammered just as much as the running backs.
Jarrett Guarantano, 6-4, 215 - Opinions definitely vary on this young man, but the stats were clear last season in showing that he was the most effective quarterback for Tennessee last season. Guarantano, in nine games with six starts, passed for 997 yards with 4 touchdowns against 2 interceptions. Unfortunately, we can't actually gauge him as a runner because he never really got a chance to run amidst the poor protection he often had, ending the season officially with 66 carries for -39 yards and a touchdown. Guarantano, for a passer under duress, had a solid completion percentage at 61.9% as well as a strong passing yard per attempt number at 7.2 yards. With time, Guarantano has at least provided the strong suggestion that he can be a very effective passer, but his pocket presence has left much to be desired up to this point. That lack of vision and awareness also impacted his ability to recognize and react to running opportunities last season. He showed apparent improvement this spring in recognition of the pass rush and decision making with the ball, but that is spring ball and the jury is still out on Guarantano's progress.
Will McBride, 6-1, 205 - Will McBride likely needed a redshirt season. That did not happen last year as injuries pressed the true freshman into action. As a true freshman forced into a difficult situation, he played about as well as one could hope for, throwing for 152 yards and a touchdown, although he did throw a pair of interceptions. He also ran for 70 yards on 18 touches over the two games he saw action in along with a start. McBride wasn't ready and nobody really expected him to be read, but in spite of that he showed moments of promise. He also gave cause for concern. He only completed 42.5% of his passes, and that paired with his two picks to one touchdown isn't a great recipe for success. Although he ran well at times, he still only averaged a 3.9 yard per carry clip, so he's not such a dynamic runner that he can overcome passing deficiencies. He didn't really seem to show the progress one would hope in the spring game, although it was indicated he had good practices. He still seems likely to need a redshirt season to develop.
JT Shrout, 6-3, 210 - Tennessee had some trouble with the quarterback position in the 2018 cycle. They had two promising quarterbacks set to join the program, but both elected to go elsewhere after the coaching change with one heading to Nebraska and the other joining Indiana. This left Tennessee looking for their passer in the class, and they turned to a high upside option in Shrout. Scouts and analysts who got a look at him in person were wowed by his tools and potential to step into a pro-style offense and excel. That said, he hasn't had a lot of opportunities to develop, with only one season as a starter under his belt in high school. In that lone season, he threw for 3,064 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions on a 51% completion rate, so obviously you can see the talent at work but also the improvements needed. He's a willing and capable runner, but he's no burner. He averaged 3.7 yards per rush in his high school career with 311 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. The arm talent is there. He is fearless both inside and outside the pocket. His decision making and accuracy need work. He too needs a redshirt season, assuming health allows for it.
The running backs are up next. There's no target goal for getting these out. It's just when I have time to finish one, but at least one per week is what I hope to be able to do.
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