Tennessee Football: J.T. Shrout removing himself from QB competition

Tennessee Football has finished a very disappointing season, and now arguably the best quarterback on the roster is transferring.

After a disappointing season at quarterback, Tennessee football will now be looking for a quarterback of the future. At least among the fan base, it seems like the favorite is Harrison Bailey with J.T. Shrout and Brian Maurer trying to upset the favorite and win the starting job.

Depending on who you talk to, you might find some fans join Shrout’s side this season as he and Bailey split time running the offense during the second half of the season. It’s hard to say which quarterback is truly the best after a few games of both quarterbacks splitting time, but Shrout definitely brought his best on the field to amplify the quarterback battle.

It looks like the quarterback battle on Rocky Top could become a little less competitive as Shrout is reportedly entering the transfer portal this offseason. Sure, Tennessee doesn’t need two starting quarterbacks, but he might’ve felt he didn’t have a chance to win the starting job with the momentum behind Bailey with the fan base.

This could be the reason why Shrout is leaving Tennessee, or it could be because the offensive coaching staff has been incompetent this season, and he’s tired of dealing with the coaching staff. Whatever the reason, I don’t really blame him for leaving after this season. It’s probably difficult for some of the players that aren’t stars to see a successful future with Tennessee.

Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel broke the news on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. It’s unclear right now if Shrout has a favorite heading into the transfer portal, but all I hope is he goes to a team that isn’t on Tennessee’s schedule over the next few years.

Now two Tennessee quarterbacks will be transferring this offseason, with Shrout joining Jarrett Guarantano in the transfer portal. The Vols will be bringing one quarterback in as a freshman, though, with four-star dual-threat quarterback Kaidon Salter coming from Texas.

It’s interesting to see Shrout transfer out of Pruitt’s program after being one of Pruitt’s first commitments when he got to Rocky Top. Tyson Helton was the offensive coordinator at the time, so that could’ve been a big reason why Shrout came to Tennessee. If that’s the case, he could be eyeing Western Kentucky as a transfer destination, and I’d expect him to do really good there.

This twist in the quarterback battle on Tennessee doesn’t surprise me too much after this season. I don’t think much more will change with the quarterbacks, but we could see another transfer or two before it’s all said and done.