After throwing a ton of praise toward Tennessee redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano last week during their week of training in San Diego while the Volunteers were on spring break, renowned quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr. continues to display his excitement around the young UT player.

At the close of the weekend, Whitfield tweeted out this photo of Guarantano, calling him the “coolest surprise” of the week, while also praising both his maturity and arm talent.

Guarantano sat out last season after redshirting. Now the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback prospect from the 2016 recruiting cycle will have his first chance to prove himself this spring in Knoxville. All eyes on Rocky Top will be on the quarterback competition between Guarantano, junior Quinten Dormady, and sophomore Sheriron Jones when Tennessee starts spring practice Tuesday.

With Tennessee breaking in a host of new offensive coaches, including first-time play-caller in Larry Scott, replacing its top two backs and its top receiver from a season ago, making the correct choice at quarterback will be all the more crucial to the team’s success in 2017. Considering the season opener is in Atlanta and the team travels to Gainesville two weeks later, the eventual starter won’t have much time to ease into his new role.

If the competition is close and the Sept. 4 season opener is approaching fast, if Butch Jones needs some help making the call, it’s pretty clear — judging by his recent statements — which direction Whitfield would go.

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