The one thing Larry Scott wants from the next Vols QB

Luke Slabaugh

WBIR

What's the one thing first-year offensive coordinator Larry Scott will need to see before deciding on a starting quarterback?

"Consistency," Scott said Sunday. "That's throughout the team, but it always starts with the quarterback. The minute we know we have a guy that consistently goes out and consistently performs and raises the level of the players around him, that's when we'll know we have our quarterback."

Suffice it to say the friendly competition between redshirt freshman Jarrett Guarantano and junior Quinten Dormady has a long way to go before the Vols' staff decides on a starter.

Quarterbacks coach Mike Canales had a similar thought, saying a number of traits like charisma and leadership could be what proves the next starting quarterback. He said both Guarantano and Dormady had made strides in their technique and leadership since the Orange and White game. 

"It's getting guys to feel your energy, to feel you," Canales said. "it's a great example of Tom Brady on leadership, of Peyton Manning on leadership. You watch how they play, and we watch clips of their highlights. Watching Peyton Manning, his offense felt him, his players trusted him. And they felt his presence.

"That's what I'm trying to generate in the meeting rooms and that's what I'm trying to generate on the field," Canales said. "Your players have got to be able to feel you and your energy and your enthusiasm and your passion. And when they get that and they trust you, they'll play their butts off for you."

Canales says there are loads of opportunities for the quarterbacks to prove themselves in camp, day in and day out, on the field and off it.

"The best example they can do is their reps," Canales said. "When they're in a drill situation, it's a statement to their own teammates, it's how they perform each and every rep. If they're going to go game speed, it shows their commitment to this program." 

The Vols will kick off their season Monday, September 4 (Labor Day) against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta at the brand new Mercedes-Benz Dome.