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Toughness carries Vols’ ‘sixth man’

Hitting the reset button.

It’s more than a growing trend in athletics. It’s an epidemic at all levels, from youth to the pro ranks. Yet for redshirt junior Jarret Guarantano, hitting “the start over button” has simply never been an option.

He didn’t leave Knoxville after he was told he’d play in the 2017 season opener against Georgia Tech, but then didn’t see the field. He didn’t leave after his father’s college position coach (Butch Jones) was fired as his head coach. He didn’t look for greener pastures after taking a game-after-game beating in 2018. He didn’t transfer after losing his starting position earlier this fall, and perhaps most notably, Guarantano didn’t quit after he was undressed by his head coach on national television following an inexplicable error in the Alabama game.

People call Jarrett Guarantano a lot of things — fairly or unfairly — but no one can call him a quitter. He keeps moving forward, no matter what is thrown at him, no matter how bad it gets, no matter how dark things seem.

And he has seen some darkness.

Over the last three weeks, the darkness has turned into light as it was Guarantano who led the Vols to victory over South Carolina.

After JT Shrout couldn’t get it done, No. 2 managed Tennessee to a 30-7 win over UAB. And then JG rallied the Vols from down 10 at the half against Kentucky on Saturday night.

Guarantano has acknowledged 2019 has been the hardest year he has ever had to endure. He credits Pruitt’s continued belief in him, which seems counterintuitive based on his benching by the head coach and the aforementioned butt-chewing he received in Tuscaloosa.

Maybe better for the tough love, or maybe just tough, Guarantano is a huge reason the improving Vols are 5-5. After a dark period, he claims that he’s a better quarterback for what he’s been through, too.

“I’ve never experienced something like this in my entire career,” Guarantano admitted Saturday night and reiterated on The Nation radio show Sunday.

“It was very tough for me. All Coach Pruitt kept saying is that it’s the same game you have played your whole life. He kept saying how much he believed in me and he knew what type of player I was. I just kept telling myself that each and every day. Of course there were tough moments. There were some things displayed on the field that weren’t what we wanted or I envisioned, but every day we came to work. I’m happy that I went through that tough patch in my life because it taught me a lot about myself.”

It’s taught people a lot about Guarantano, as well. The New Jersey native’s physical toughness has never been in question. It’s why no one is surprised he’s playing with a broken hand. But how he would he handle the demotion? How would he respond to to Pruitt’s face mask tug and public ridicule? How would he handle a broken spirit?

I would say he’s responded brilliantly.

He hasn’t publicly pouted. He privately apologized to the coaches and his teammates following what happened at Alabama. He hasn’t privately pined for his job after some success. He’s just practiced every day, played when given the opportunity and played well. Since the Alabama fumble, Guarantano is 31 of 48 for 491 yards five touchdowns and one interception, looking a lot like the quarterback that had folks excited entering the 2019 season.

“I really wanted to come in and help them get a lot of wins. If Coach Pruitt wanted this to be the option for me and that’s going to get us wins then I’m happy to do so,” Guarantano said of coming off the bench.

And as for that broken spirit, Guarantano’s teammates helped heal that.

“From that point on, I think my team has truly accepted me for that,” Guarantano said of apologizing to his team. “I have tried to do everything in my power to get their full trust back. These last couple of weeks you can see that we are playing different. I’m really proud of this team and the way we have handled some things.”

They know how much I love them. We have experienced a lot together. We have been friends for way longer than the time we have been on the field together. Being able to help get wins for those guys. Being able to experience the things we have experienced the last couple of weeks, it means a lot to me and a lot to the program I believe.”

To say it means a lot is an understatement.

A month ago, some fans would have helped pack Jarrett Guarantano’s locker. Now with two games to go, Guarantano has helped put Tennessee back to where they were exactly one year ago record-wise. Five wins with two games to play. The opportunity in front of the Vols is huge, and it’s been created in part by the guy dubbed “the sixth man” by his teammates, as Guaranntao refused to quit on them, his coaches and, most importantly, himself.

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