With Tennessee now back on the open market for a quarterback the search for the Vols' 2016 signal caller starts with New Jersey native Guarantano.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound dual-threat quarterback has been to Tennessee twice now under Butch Jones and knows Jones well because of his father. It's worth noting that the Vols continued their relationship with Guarantano even throughout Kendall's commitment.
We were able to talk to some people today around his recruitment and Tennessee is certainly in the thick of things along with Ohio State and Rutgers.
The connection to Rutgers is pretty obvious, his father Jim, played there (and it's where he got to know Butch) and the family lives about a half hour away.
They were the first team to offer him and have made him the centerpiece of their recruiting efforts for the 2016 class for a long, long time.
Ohio State has been a top contender for Guarantano for some time as well and he certainly likes the school, but there are scheduled to be six quarterbacks on campus when Guarantano arrives in 2016 so that's something to think about. Also, the Buckeyes already have Danny Clark committed in the class of 2017.
But, from what we understand as well, Ohio State, along with Tennessee, provide a bigger stage to play on and that's something that interests him as well.
As for the Vols, while the taking three quarterbacks last year is having to be addressed with most recruits at this stage, it hasn't seemed a big deal from those we've talked about Guarantano.
Guarantano is expected at Tennessee March 22-23 after participating in the Rivals QB Challenge in Atlanta so we should get a good feel what he's thinking the day before he visits Tennessee.
As of right now, all three teams seem to be in the race but Tennessee certainly has a chance to make an impact on his visit. We are hearing he'd like to do something before the summer begins.
As for other options keep an eye on Woody Barrett.
Haskins Jr., out of Maryland, is someone everyone in the country knows about and the Vols could try and make a push there and try and get involved.
Barrett, a Florida native, has seen his stock rise and the Vols could get involved there as well.
Some have asked about Tylin Oden and while he's someone the coaches continue to recruit there may be others higher on the board.
Xavier Gaines, who said he's high on Tennessee this past weekend, is someone the Vols are involved with as well but again, there seems to be players higher on the board.
But, right now, the focus seems to be on Guarantano. We expect more quarterback names to pop up, especially if the Vols wait until the spring evaluation period to get on the road and see some guys throw.
That will likely bring more names on the board as well and could lead to some shuffling of the board as new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord will hit the road and see these guys throw for the first time.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound dual-threat quarterback has been to Tennessee twice now under Butch Jones and knows Jones well because of his father. It's worth noting that the Vols continued their relationship with Guarantano even throughout Kendall's commitment.
We were able to talk to some people today around his recruitment and Tennessee is certainly in the thick of things along with Ohio State and Rutgers.
The connection to Rutgers is pretty obvious, his father Jim, played there (and it's where he got to know Butch) and the family lives about a half hour away.
They were the first team to offer him and have made him the centerpiece of their recruiting efforts for the 2016 class for a long, long time.
Ohio State has been a top contender for Guarantano for some time as well and he certainly likes the school, but there are scheduled to be six quarterbacks on campus when Guarantano arrives in 2016 so that's something to think about. Also, the Buckeyes already have Danny Clark committed in the class of 2017.
But, from what we understand as well, Ohio State, along with Tennessee, provide a bigger stage to play on and that's something that interests him as well.
As for the Vols, while the taking three quarterbacks last year is having to be addressed with most recruits at this stage, it hasn't seemed a big deal from those we've talked about Guarantano.
Guarantano is expected at Tennessee March 22-23 after participating in the Rivals QB Challenge in Atlanta so we should get a good feel what he's thinking the day before he visits Tennessee.
As of right now, all three teams seem to be in the race but Tennessee certainly has a chance to make an impact on his visit. We are hearing he'd like to do something before the summer begins.
As for other options keep an eye on Woody Barrett.
Haskins Jr., out of Maryland, is someone everyone in the country knows about and the Vols could try and make a push there and try and get involved.
Barrett, a Florida native, has seen his stock rise and the Vols could get involved there as well.
Some have asked about Tylin Oden and while he's someone the coaches continue to recruit there may be others higher on the board.
Xavier Gaines, who said he's high on Tennessee this past weekend, is someone the Vols are involved with as well but again, there seems to be players higher on the board.
But, right now, the focus seems to be on Guarantano. We expect more quarterback names to pop up, especially if the Vols wait until the spring evaluation period to get on the road and see some guys throw.
That will likely bring more names on the board as well and could lead to some shuffling of the board as new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord will hit the road and see these guys throw for the first time.
