Jarrett James Guarantano (born November 14, 1997) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
.
Early life and high school
Guarantano grew up
Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi (; ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 24,136,Bergen Catholic where he played football. His father James Guarantano was a wide receiver at
Rutgers
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...
from 1989 to 1992 and joined later the Rutgers Hall of Fame and later played in the NFL and CFL. Guarantano threw for 3,028 yards and 28 touchdowns and rushed for 523 yards and 12 touchdowns in his prep career. He earned All-Bergen County First-team honors and was a 2016 Under Armour All-America. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and top 4 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. He committed to
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
over more than 40 scholarship offers from other programs.
College career
Tennessee
2016 season
In his first season, Guarantano took a redshirt year to learn from senior
Joshua Dobbs
Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth rou ...
in 2016.
2017 season
Guarantano started the 2017 season as the backup to Quinten Dormady. In the early part of the season, he appeared in relief roles. He threw his first collegiate touchdown to Jeff George in Tennessee's 42–7 victory over
Indiana State
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...
in the second game. Following the
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
game, which was the worst home loss since 1905 at
Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Footb ...
, Guarantano was named the starter for the next game against
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. The remainder of the season was a struggle for the Volunteers program with only one victory over
Southern Miss
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...
. Tennessee finished 4–8. The program lost eight games for the time in program history to go along with a winless record in conference play. Tennessee's performance in the 2017 season resulted in the firing of head coach
Butch Jones
Lyle Allen "Butch" Jones Jr. (born January 17, 1968) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Arkansas State University. Jones previously served as a special assistant to the head coach and offensive analyst at the Univ ...
. He finished his second year with 997 passing yards and four touchdowns with a completion percentage of 62.0 when starting in six games and appeared in nine contests.
2018 season
Guarantano remained the starter going into the 2018 season under new head coach
Jeremy Pruitt
Jeremy Pruitt (born May 28, 1974) is an American football coach who most recently was a senior defensive assistant for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at the University of Tennes ...
. After a 2–3 start, Guarantano played his most complete game in 30–24 upset victory at #21
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
. He passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers. Tennessee had two shots at bowl eligibility late in the 2018 season but dropped both games against
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
and Vanderbilt to finish 5–7. As a sophomore he started all 12 games and passed for 1,907 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions (the lowest since
Condredge Holloway
Condredge Holloway Jr. (born January 25, 1954) is a former quarterback for the University of Tennessee and later in the Canadian Football League. Holloway was one of the first African-American quarterbacks to receive national exposure. His nickna ...
in 1972). He broke the school record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception by tossing 166 straight passes without a pick, breaking the old mark of 143 set by
Casey Clausen
Casey James Clausen (born January 9, 1981) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach of Bishop Alemany High School in Los Angeles, California. Clausen played college football at the University of Tennessee ...
in 2003.
2019 season
The 2019 season started disastrous for the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee dropped the season opener to
Georgia State Georgia state or ''variation'', may refer to:
Primarily
* Georgia State University ("State", "Georgia State"), a state university
* Georgia (U.S. state) ("Georgia state"), a state of the United States of America
Sports
* sports teams of Georgia St ...
38–30. The loss marked the first for Tennessee to a Group of 5 school since 2008. Guarantano passed for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the loss. In the following game, he passed for 176 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 29–26 2OT home loss to
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
. The Vols started 0–2 for the first time since 1988. Tennessee dropped two of their next three games, losses to top-ten teams
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, to drop to 1–4. Guarantano was benched prior to the Georgia game for Brian Maurer. In the following game, against
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...
, Maurer was injured and Guarantano came into the game in relief. He threw a late touchdown to Tyler Byrd to give the Volunteers a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to help clinch the 20–10 victory. In the following game at #1
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, Tennessee had drove to the Alabama goalline trailing 28–13 in the fourth quarter. Guarantano went against the play call and tried a quarterback sneak and fumbled resulting in a
Trevon Diggs
Trevon De'Sean Diggs (born September 20, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 202 ...
100-yard fumble return for a touchdown. In the next game, he bounced back with a solid 229-yard, two-touchdown game against
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
in a 41–21 victory. He broke his non-throwing wrist against South Carolina but never missed a game. Following victories over
AUB
Aub () is a city in the district of Würzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated southeast of Würzburg, and northwest of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and, nearby the border of Baden-Württemberg.
The river Gollach is the main body of water. Au ...
and
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, Guarantano passed for 415 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–20 victory over
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
to clinch bowl eligibility for Tennessee. Following a victory over Vanderbilt, Tennessee finished with a 7–5 record and earned an appearance in the
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
against
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. Guarantano passed for 221 yards and two interceptions as Tennessee won 23–22 in a comeback victory. As a junior, he threw for 2,158 yards and 16 touchdowns while starting seven games and playing in all 13. Tennessee's momentum helped earn them a preseason #25 ranking for the 2020 season.
2020 season
Tennessee moved up to a #16 ranking before their 2020 regular season opener. Guarantano was named the starter for the opener against
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. Guarantano helped lead Tennessee to a 2–0 start before a 44–21 loss to #3
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
sent the season spiraling. The following game against #23 Kentucky saw Guarantano throw consecutive pick-sixes to set the tone of the 34–7 defeat. The 27-point loss marked the worst defeat in the series for Tennessee since Kentucky won 27–0 in 1935. The next three games saw Guarantano injured and eventually benched for the rest of the season. Guarantano threw for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions in seven games during the 2020 season that was cut short due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Washington State
2021 season
Guarantano transferred for the 2021 season to
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
as a graduate transfer where he due to a knee injury, only appeared in two games with the Cougars, throwing for 304 yards with one touchdown. He was named to the Golden Arm Award watch list in August 2021. He completed his bachelor's degree in psychology in December 2019 and a master's in Agriculture.
College statistics
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
After going undrafted in the
2022 NFL Draft
The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...
, he signed after a rookie minicamp as an UDFA-contract with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. He played his first game for Arizona in the first preseason game against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. He played in every game of the preseason but was cut on August 30, 2022. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 7. He was released on October 4.
Denver Broncos
At the end of November he had a try-out with the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
but failed to get signed. On December 5, 2022, Guarantano was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 20.