Tennessee football: 5 questions the Vols must answer in 2020

Tennessee football is on the upswing but faces these big questions in 2020.

Since Jeremy Pruitt arrived in Knoxville, there has been an air of optimism surrounding Tennessee football. He’s clearly been building something throughout his tenure with the Volunteers and the 2019 season was a microcosm of that. After losing to Georgia State to begin the year, they won six-straight games, including their bowl game against Indiana.

Now that the 2020 season is approaching, the hope is that Tennessee has reached another level and will only continue on its ascent. The big question, however, is if the Volunteers are able to compete with the big-time programs right now in the SEC East to get their own program back to the heights of their former glory. That will be tough this year, though, as there are some mountains to still climb.

As Tennessee football faces a tough schedule and more, these are the biggest questions the Vols will need to answer in the 2020 season.

5. Is Jarrett Guarantano the right quarterback for Tennessee football?

There’s no question that Jarrett Guarantano has plenty of experience as the starting quarterback in Knoxville. The senior has 25 starts already in his career and, based on that alone, then you’d have to imagine that he’d be the favorite to start again in the 2020 season. But the question of if he gives Tennessee the best chance to succeed out of their options is not certain still.

To be sure, the way that Guarantano finished his 2019 campaign should make him the favorite to be the starter throughout the upcoming year. He was brilliant in big SEC games down the stretch, including big wins against Kentucky and Missouri, which was evidenced by the Vols’ season-ending winning streak.

Why Guarantano gets called into question, though, is because he’s flashed throughout his time with the program but has struggled with both health and consistency. Moreover, he has plenty of competition as well. J.T. Shrout and Brian Maurer were with the program last year and challenged for the starting job but now they’re joined by Harrison Bailey, a freshman oozing with talent.

Because of the truncated offseason, Guarantano may have the upper hand in the race for the starting job. However, if his bouts of inconsistency resurface given the hopes for Tennessee in the 2020 season, don’t be surprised if Pruitt makes the call to one of his other options, likely Bailey to inject new life into the offense.