Impact analysis: Jarrett Guarantano

The spring evaluation period opened on Wednesday and Tennessee started it with a bang as New Jersey quarterback Jarrett Guarantano committed to the Vols over Ohio State and the home state team Rutgers, where his father, Jim, played.

The four-star quarterback is a huge addition to the class and the Volquest.com crew takes a closer look at Guarantano's commitment means to the Vols now and in the future.

HOW DOES GUARANTANO FIT IN?

While Tennessee's former class of 2016 quarterback commitment Austin Kendall looked like a good fit for Tennessee's offense under Butch Jones, Guarantano seems like he may be the best fit.

The 6-foot-3.5, 185-pound signal caller can do damage with both his arm and his legs and his equally deadly utilizing either.

Guarantano posses a big frame and with that comes a big arm. He's shown his ability to push the ball down the field when he's had time to set his feet. He's still maturing as a quarterback in terms of accuracy, but the lack in that part of his game could come from from his lack of time sitting in the pocket as he's usually on the run.

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And just because he's scrambling a good bit doesn't mean it's necessarily a bad thing. Guarantano's tape shows an excellent ability to make plays with either his arm or legs while on the run. The ability to make something from seemingly nothing is certainly a good trait.

Now, there will need to be some development, but Guarantano has a big arm, great mobility and speed for the quarterback position. With the way Joshua Dobbs helped breath new life in Jones' offense this past fall, it's hard to find a better fit for what Tennessee wants in the class of 2016.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TENNESSEE?

It means, if the Vols do indeed sign Guarantano, that for the first time since Butch Jones took on the Tennessee job he will have signed a quarterback in consecutive classes. Even though the Vols have been able to take multiple quarterbacks in two classes, that's usually not the best way to build depth.

So, long term, despite the Vols signing three quarterbacks last year, adding one in this class was pivotal as Tennessee needed to begin to space out its quarterbacks, unless they wanted to face having to have freshmen backup quarterbacks every year.

It also means the Vols can start seriously targeting the class of 2017 quarterbacks and even beyond. Tennessee has hosted Hunter Johnson on several occasions and the Indiana quarterback is likely to be one of the top five quarterbacks in the class of 2017.

It also gives Tennessee coaches a quarterback to point to when recruiting wide receivers, a major need for this class. Whether it's Diondre Overton, Jeff George, Kyle Davis, Mecole Hardman, Donnie Corley or any of the Vols' other top wideout targets, Tennessee can point to a big name with a big game as the man who could be getting them the ball in a few years.

SCOUTING REPORT ON GUARANTANO

Now let's hear from Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman for a breakdown on Guarantano:

"He's got incredible arm, a ton of arm strength, and he's accurate when able to set his feet. He's a dangerous runner and kept his team in the game and even won some games by his running ability alone. He's able to make a lot of plays with his feet whether that's on move throwing the ball or just running.

"Comparing him to a quarterback he really looks a lot like Joshua Dobbs. He has a similar game. He can run but has a bigger arm and makes smart decisions. He had some interceptions last season but they weren't necessarily bad throws. His receivers dropped the ball, getting tipped at the line, things like that. But, he's a good decision maker.

"He has a compact throwing motion, he just needs to set feet and throw the ball and he will get better at that. He was on the run most of last year so didn't get see that because he was having to make more plays with his feet."