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Tennessee's Future At Quarterback

2016 prospect Austin Kendall decommitted to the Vols on Tuesday. Did Tennessee pull his offer? Where do the Vols go from here? Breath easy Vol Nation, Butch has got this.

By Michael W Bratton
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

National championships are hard to come by without a great quarterback, the only exceptions since the BCS era - AJ McCarron (2009), Matt Flynn (2007), Chris Leak (2006) and Matt Mauck (2003) all needed a combination of elite coaching and talent around them to capture their championships.

In addition to having talent, Ohio State showed the value of depth at the game's most important position last season. The key is convincing players to stick around in today's culture of inflated self entitlement. Before coaches have to deal with recruiting their kids to stay, they have to get them to commit to the program in the first place. Credit the Volunteer coach staff for bringing in the best class of quarterbacks in 2015, but don't expect them to sit idly by with all the current recruiting momentum the program currently has flowing into the 2016 recruiting cycle.

Former 2016 Commit - Austin Kendall

Recruiting Service Stars Position Rank State Rank Overall Rank
247
4 Stars 2.0
#14 #7 N/A
Rivals
4 Stars 2.0
#3 #3 #27
ESPN
4 Stars 2.0
#15 #8 #225
Scout
4 Stars 2.0
#19 #1 N/A

Kendall decommitted from Tennessee on Tuesday:

The decommitment doesn't entirely rule out Kendall's return to Rocky Top, but the odds of that happening appear slim. Kendall recently visited Kentucky, where his brother is a walk-on receiver, leading to speculation that he will join the Wildcats. However, Kendall was interviewed following that trip and he made it quite clear that playing with his brother won't ultimately decide his college choice, "It's really not a factor. I mean, if I did play with him that would be fun." Kendall is currently rated #27 overall by Rivals leading some to assume his 5th star is just a matter of time. It seems unlikely that Kentucky can land a quarterback the caliber of Kendall until they start beating SEC teams aside from a rebuilding Vanderbilt and fast-fading South Carolina.

So why did Kendall decommit from the Vols? He had close ties with Mike Bajakian, who was his lead recruiter for two seasons, his departure surely played some role in the decision. Austin was said to be taken aback by Tennessee bringing in three quarterbacks in 2015 as well, saying "Yeah, it's surprising. But it's obviously competition, just like every other school's going to have." Perhaps he didn't want to battle through the Vols depth chart at quarterback. Kendall also addressed Tennessee's desire to bring in one quarterback in 2015, "They said I'm the guy in their class and they're not going to take anybody else."

If Tennessee does indeed plan to bring in only one quarterback, as they are expected to only sign around 20-25 players this recruiting cycle after two bloated classes, they better bring in the player they feel best fits their system and can lead a team with this much talent to a championship. Have they found that player elsewhere?

2016 Target - Jarrett Guarantano

Recruiting Service Stars Position Rank State Rank Overall Rank
247
4 Stars 2.0
#6 #4 #106
Rivals
4 Stars 2.0
#4 #4 #91
ESPN
4 Stars 2.0
#13 #7 #215
Scout
4 Stars 2.0
#9 #1 #129

Guarantano appears to be an ideal fit for the Tennessee offense that hit their highest gear once a mobile Joshua Dobbs was inserted into the lineup. He has the arm strength to push the ball downfield, the vision to step up in the pocket and some serious wheels to jet past defenders using his unusually long strides. While Guarantano may not be as polished a passer as Kendall at this time, he evokes the talent necessary to take over a game and crush the soul of a sound defense that misses just one tackle. He reminds me of a skinny Vince Young, who before busting in the NFL, was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks of all time. If Guarantano has that type of potential, it would be ill-advised for Tennessee to pass on that kind of talent.

This recruitment won't be easy, as the Vols have two serious contenders for his services. Guarantano may stay home and play for Rutgers, I can only imagine the pressure to stay home and turn around the program and stay close to family and friends. His father James, is in the Rutgers Hall of Fame as a former receiver for the school. However, the Vols greatest threat at this point is the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Guarantano fits their system as well, and Urban Meyer has proven he can develop a college quarterback unlike any other active coach. Ohio State already has a commitment from the #1 overall running back in 2016 Kareem Walker, a close friend of Guarantano and fellow New Jersey prospect. Expect the Buckeyes to go all in for Jarrett as their stockpile of quarterbacks will be leaving college by the time he arrives.

This may be Butch's toughest recruiting job yet, but as we've all come to learn, Butch is pretty damn tough to beat on the recruiting trail. While most of us were enjoying Christmas Day with our loved ones, what was Butch doing?

Our coach apparently never takes a day off, not even Christmas! That kind effort may be the very reason Butch pulls in another top prospect. Butch also has a previous relationship with Guarantano's father James. Butch knows James from his early days of coaching while serving as a coaching GA at Rutgers. Expect Butch's previous relationship to help in his recruitment of Jarrett. Another factor that may play into Tennessee's hands, Jarrett's favorite quarterback is Peyton Manning. Guarantano even wears #18 because of Manning. Obviously Butch knows this, and has already begun to work his creative magic to help pull Guarantano to Knoxville:

Guarantano is scheduled to make a trip down to Knoxville on the weekend of March 21st, just as Tennessee will be gearing up for their first spring practice the following Tuesday. Expect Guarantano to receive the royal treatment from the entire program and possibly a commitment to be made at that point, now that Tennessee has a spot reserved solely for him.

If Guarantano decides to take his time, expect this battle of recruiting heavyweights to continue during the summer and possibly all the way until signing day. Although, if he takes too much time, someone might just take his place in the class....

2016 Target Xavier Gaines

Recruiting Service Stars Position Rank State Rank Overall Rank
247
3 stars 2.0
#9 #40 #269
Rivals
4 Stars 2.0
#9 #29 #213
ESPN
4 Stars 2.0
#7 #42 #249
Scout
4 Stars 2.0
#13 N/A #211

Gaines said this week that Tennessee was his favorite and the team to beat in his recruitment.

Needless to say, it's good to be Tennessee right now on the recruiting trail!

#ExtremeTeam16 #GBO #VFL

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