Tennessee Football’s new offensive scheme should make QB battle fun

Tennessee Football has one of the best quarterback rooms they’ve had in a long time, and the Vols’ new offensive scheme should make things more fun.

If there’s one thing that Josh Heupel brings to Tennessee football, it’s a decent offense. That’s something Tennessee has lacked under Jeremy Pruitt. Heupel brings an offense that isn’t afraid to throw the ball and take some shots.

That means we could have a more competitive quarterback battle this offseason than we were expecting. Harrison Bailey seems to be the front-runner coming out of the 2020 season, but it’s not like he has some bums behind him. Bailey has some talented quarterbacks behind him that’ll be waiting for their shot at the starting quarterback job.

Redshirt junior Hendon Hooker, sophomore Brian Maurer, and incoming freshman Kaidon Salter. Out of that group of three, Vols fans seem to be the most excited about Salter with hopes that Maurer and Hooker can get the job done if they need to come into the game.

Expectations are that Bailey should be starting this fall with Salter being close behind him. I wouldn’t be surprised if Heupel redshirts Salter, though, because he’s an incoming freshman, and there’s plenty of talent and experience already ahead of him in the QB room.

Redshirting Salter will also allow him to get some experience and practice this fall and develop his skills before losing any eligibility. I could see a scenario where the Tennessee coaching staff is preparing for Salter to take over in his final two seasons of eligibility. By then, Bailey, Hooker, and Maurer will have graduated, and the door will be wide open for Salter.

There’s no excuse for Tennessee to have a bad offense this year. Heupel is the best offensive-minded head coach Tennessee has had since Lane Kiffin. Will Heupel be able to carry his successes on offense to the SEC level? That’s another question, and we won’t find out until Heupel puts on the headset this fall.