https://www.espn.com/college-footba...nder-radar-players-ready-breakout-season-2019
Pop quiz: Who had the lowest interception rate in the SEC last season?
You're probably thinking Tua Tagovailoa, right? It's a good guess, but it's wrong. How about Jake Fromm? He was terrific for Georgia, right? Well, that's the wrong answer, too.
The answer, you might be surprised to learn, is Tennessee's Jarrett Guarantano, who threw only three picks in 246 attempts, despite playing behind one of the country's worst offensive lines.
OK, one more quiz question. Who had the better season?
Long story short, Guarantano was pretty darn good last season, even if you didn't notice. And, of course, the reason you probably didn't notice is because Tennessee was pretty bad.
That's really the true benchmark for Guarantano, too. Adversity was all around him. He was sacked on 8.2% of his dropbacks, good for 106th in FBS. He ranked 119th in FBS with 39% of his throws coming under pressure. And his rushing offense ranked last in the SEC.
But when Guarantano wasn't buried under the pass rush, he was developing into a premier QB. It was just a little tough to notice.
"He's incredibly smart, and football comes fairly easy to him," Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said. "He's got really good arm strength, he's tough, he's a good athlete. He has a lot of really good intangibles to be a good quarterback."
Not only did Guarantano survive the O-line struggles last year, he thrived. When pressured, he completed 57% of his passes and averaged 9 yards per attempt. No QB in the country was better. Few QBs needed to be.
The good news is Guarantano has more room to grow, and his role in the offense figures to expand, too. He threw only 12 touchdown passes last season, but doubling that number might be a good starting point for 2019.
Darnell Wright and Wanya Morris, which could allow Guarantano to reach his potential.
Guarantano isn't the only emerging star to fly under the radar last season, however. From the big-play back on a bad Big Ten team to the elite ACC QB who doesn't play for Clemson, these guys don't qualify as household names because their big seasons were obscured or upstaged, but they're nevertheless poised to become stars in 2019.
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Great story on JG.
GO VOLS!!
Pop quiz: Who had the lowest interception rate in the SEC last season?
You're probably thinking Tua Tagovailoa, right? It's a good guess, but it's wrong. How about Jake Fromm? He was terrific for Georgia, right? Well, that's the wrong answer, too.
The answer, you might be surprised to learn, is Tennessee's Jarrett Guarantano, who threw only three picks in 246 attempts, despite playing behind one of the country's worst offensive lines.
OK, one more quiz question. Who had the better season?
- Player A: 59.4% completions, 7.8 yards per pass, 3.4-1 TD-to-INT ratio, 35% conversions on third-down throws
- Player B: 62.2% completions, 7.8 yards per pass, 4-1 TD-to-INT ratio, 41% conversions on third-down throws
Long story short, Guarantano was pretty darn good last season, even if you didn't notice. And, of course, the reason you probably didn't notice is because Tennessee was pretty bad.
That's really the true benchmark for Guarantano, too. Adversity was all around him. He was sacked on 8.2% of his dropbacks, good for 106th in FBS. He ranked 119th in FBS with 39% of his throws coming under pressure. And his rushing offense ranked last in the SEC.
But when Guarantano wasn't buried under the pass rush, he was developing into a premier QB. It was just a little tough to notice.
"He's incredibly smart, and football comes fairly easy to him," Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said. "He's got really good arm strength, he's tough, he's a good athlete. He has a lot of really good intangibles to be a good quarterback."
Not only did Guarantano survive the O-line struggles last year, he thrived. When pressured, he completed 57% of his passes and averaged 9 yards per attempt. No QB in the country was better. Few QBs needed to be.
The good news is Guarantano has more room to grow, and his role in the offense figures to expand, too. He threw only 12 touchdown passes last season, but doubling that number might be a good starting point for 2019.
Darnell Wright and Wanya Morris, which could allow Guarantano to reach his potential.
Guarantano isn't the only emerging star to fly under the radar last season, however. From the big-play back on a bad Big Ten team to the elite ACC QB who doesn't play for Clemson, these guys don't qualify as household names because their big seasons were obscured or upstaged, but they're nevertheless poised to become stars in 2019.
*********************
Great story on JG.
GO VOLS!!
