Report: Tennessee to start true freshman quarterback Brian Maurer against Georgia

Coming off of a 1-3 start and an open date, Tennessee will turn to freshman quarterback Brian Maurer on Saturday night against the Georgia Bulldogs, per ESPN’s Chris Low.

Tennessee has started fourth year junior Jarrett Guarantano in the first four games of the season, but head coach Jeremy Pruitt turned to Maurer off the bench against Florida at halftime. Maurer got a few series, leading Tennessee to its only points of the day.

Guarantano re-entered the game shortly after, but the door was opened by Pruitt against the Gators.

On Saturday night — under the lights at Neyland Stadium in front of a national audience — Maurer will get his first shot at a full game. Did we mention it’s against the No. 3 ranked team in the country? No pressure, kid.

Maurer signed in December with Tennessee as a three-star prospect. His youth showed in Gainesville, but his energy was evident as well. He brings a little more athleticism to the table, which should benefit Tennessee immediately. Look for more option looks from the Vols, who now have a legitimate running threat under center.

What does this mean for Jarrett Guarantano? Well, It’s probably not wise to rule him out from playing just yet. How long will the rope be for Maurer? After all, Pruitt went back to Guarantano in the second half in Gainesville after a couple of rough drives from Maurer.

Pruitt said earlier in the week that he may play all three quarterbacks, which would include redshirt freshman JT Shrout. But for now, it’s Maurer who is set to start this thing off.

Based off how this offense has been performing, it’s hard to fault Pruitt for looking for a spark here.