12/19/2020 football Edit

Guarantano enters Transfer Portal, could Rutgers be his destination?

Dylan Callaghan-Croley

Rivals.com

Tennessee quarterback and New Jersey native Jarrett Guarantano has entered the transfer portal according to reports. He enters the portal after being replaced as the Volunteers starting quarterback at the tail end of this season by true freshman Harrison Bailey, a former five-star prospect.

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The former Bergen Catholic standout struggled this season at times but still managed to put up a decent stat line, completing 103-166 passing attempts (62%) for 1,112-yards and six touchdowns. He did, however, throw four interceptions and fumbled the ball three times in seven games. He was replaced twice this season by Tennessee true freshman Harrison Bailey before Bailey replaced him as the starter two weeks ago before the Vols showdown against vaunted rival Florida.

While Guarantano will have his fair share of suitors, one would have to believe that a potential return to New Jersey could be in the cards for Guarantano and would be beneficial for both the New Jersey native and Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights finished up their first season of Greg Schiano's second tenure on Friday night with a 28-21 loss to Nebraska. The quarterback play for the Scarlet Knights left quite a bit to be desired. As a team, the Scarlet Knights passed for 1,786-yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Noah Vedral started a majority of the games for the Scarlet Knights, posting a stat line of 135-for-220, 1,250-yards, nine touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Artur Sitkowski made two starts with Vedral banged up, he completed 51-of-81 passing attempts for 433-yards and three touchdowns. Additionally, former Boston College quarterback Johnny Lanagan attempted 13 passes on the season, completing 11 for 103-yards and two touchdowns. He also had one interception on the season.

Adding Guarantano to the roster would provide the Scarlet Knights with a quality Power Five starting quarterback who has a ton of experience (41 starts over four years) and has faced some of the top defensive players and defensive coordinators in the country over his career. While he does have his shortcomings, Guarantano showed flashes at Tennessee of being a high-quality quarterback but a lack of consistency was often an issue.

While he wouldn’t be a guarantee necessarily to start for the Scarlet Knights in 2021, he would definitely be the front runner to do so. Rutgers enters next season as of right now with five quarterbacks on the roster for next season.

With Vedral likely back, Schiano and his staff will have options as Vedral, sophomores Artur Sitkowski and Johnny Lanagan, redshirt freshman Cole Snyder and true freshman Evan Simon are all potential starters next season.

For Guarantano, Rutgers would provide a fresh start and familiar scenery for the sixth-year quarterback and give him a chance to play one more season of big-time college football in one of the nation’s premier conferences.