Vols' backup quarterback spot still up for grabs
- Wyeth Wilson
- Apr 25, 2015
- 3 min read
For the first time in three offseasons, the starting quarterback position on the Tennessee football team is not vacant.
Thanks to a stellar ending to last season, rising junior Josh Dobbs, barring injury, will be the first quarterback to take snaps when Tennessee starts the season in September.
But the battle for the second-string spot will be something to watch.
“I mean, I think as a quarterback and as anybody at the collegiate level, you want to go out and compete,” backup quarterback competitor Quinten Dormady said. “Obviously Josh is the starter and I think I’m trying to push him and make him better, and he’s pushing me and he’s helping me out a lot.”
In Tennessee’s fourth-ranked in the nation 2015 signing class (247 Composite), the Vols signed three quarterbacks, all of them four-star prospects.
Two of them, Jauan Jennings and Sheriron Jones, are considered dual threat quarterbacks. The third, Dormady, is viewed as a pro-style quarterback.
With the Vols taking three quarterbacks in the 2015 class, they all know of the competition that lies ahead.
"I thrive on competition; I love competition," Jones said to Bleacher Report in an interview. "It shows my weak points and my strong points, and I can grow on my weak points and get better on my strong points, so I was really happy about that.
“I'm glad that we have three quarterbacks due to the fact that we only had one [scholarship quarterback on the roster].”
Jones is the only quarterback of the three that is not an early enrollee, which could put him at a disadvantage to win the job immediately.
In spring practice, Dormady has taken a bit of an early lead in the race for the backup quarterback job over fellow early enrollee Jauan Jennings.
“[I’ve] been very, very encouraged by Quinten,” head coach Butch Jones said. “I see him making tremendous progress each and every day.
“As a coach we have to keep in perspective that he should still be in high school. But I have been very, very encouraged with him. Just his overall knowledge, his fundamentals, he has a live arm. Been very encouraged by his progress so far. Each day you see him getting better and better.”
Dormady’s father, who was his head coach in high school, also helped his son’s chances when he installed Tennessee’s offense at Boerne High School (Texas) last season to help Dormady become accustomed to the offense.
Whichever freshman does win the backup quarterback job, they shouldn’t dismiss the fact that Tennessee has started at least two quarterbacks in four of the past five seasons.
While Dobbs is the clear starter, don’t be surprised to see a true freshman thrust into the action come fall.
My Opinion
The backup quarterback competition is interesting to watch, but Tennessee fans are certainly hoping that whoever does win the job won’t see much significant playing time in the fall.
A true freshman getting significant in-game snaps would mean that starter Josh Dobbs had been injured, or wasn’t playing for some other reason.
While Dormady and Jennings certainly have a leg up in the competition due to the fact that they are early enrollees, look out for Jones when he comes to campus and starts practice in the fall.
Jones, a one time Florida commitment, is from just outside of Los Angeles, an area that has a history of producing successful college quarterbacks.
Jones runs more frequently and better than Dormady, and throws the ball better than Jennings.
But since Jones does not get to campus until the fall, Dormady is the favorite to have the job going into the Vols’ first game.
Dormady, up until this point, has been more impressive in spring practice than Jennings, and will hold that lead through the beginning of the season.
Jennings, if he doesn’t win the backup quarterback job, could be a candidate for a position switch, possibly to safety.
While Dormady will probably win the job going into the start of the season, look for Jones to possibly pass him up somewhere over the course of the year.
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