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On Saturday morning, Tennessee fan account Vol Report posted a picture on Instagram.

The image featured Vols quarterbacks Brian Maurer and Jarrett Guarantano, with true freshman Harrison Bailey, clad in his Marietta uniform, sandwiched in-between.

The caption, of course, asked fans who should be under center to start the Vols’ September 5 opener against Charlotte, assuming the college football season still takes place as planned.

Photo from Vol Report Instagram

Photo from Vol Report Instagram

There were the typical responses, as several fans gave their opinions. “HB” (the common nickname for Bailey) was a common response, as were “JG” and “Maurer.”

After closer inspection, though, it was easy to see that Maurer himself shared his opinion too after being tagged in the picture.

Maurer’s choice for the starter? Not himself, if that’s what you’re thinking.

Instead, the upcoming sophomore wrote “i got @jg2qb,” citing Jarrett Guarantano as his pick to start for the Vols in their season-opener.

Maurer's response to the post

Maurer's response to the post

Obviously, several fans responded to Maurer’s comment via Instagram. Some applauded his modesty, while others critiqued the upcoming sophomore for “not really wanting to fight to be the leader.”

The same person who blasted Maurer’s leadership traits even went so far as to encourage him to “go ahead and put in those transfer papers,” suggesting that the Florida native should move on to another school.

Maurer’s position here certainly is an intriguing one. The modesty may be a good thing to some extent, as it shows chemistry in the quarterback room.

We saw last season that Maurer openly praised Guarantano given the roller-coaster they both experienced, and a good rapport will be essential for all of Chris Weinke’s signal-callers given the juggling act they could experience this season.

But the leadership critique is a good point, too. As a rising sophomore, Maurer could still carve out a place as a starter for Tennessee.

His 14-for-28, two-touchdown performance against Georgia last season ignited Vols fans after Guarantano’s early-season collapse, and the small resurgence Maurer led against Florida appeared promising, too.

Granted, Bailey’s will be a name to come up a lot, especially given the freshman’s eye-popping stats coming out of high school.

And with their mobility, true freshman Jimmy Holliday and transfer Kasim Hill both have decent shots for playing time as well.

In terms of being a starter, though, what does it say that Maurer openly defers to Guarantano?

Last season, we saw Jeremy Pruitt stick with the New Jersey native through the good times and the bad, even as fans clamored for someone else, anyone else, to sub in at quarterback.

And Pruitt did just that, at least some.

J.T. Shrout got a solid amount of playing time against South Carolina, as a strike to Marquez Callaway showed flashes of Shrout’s arm potential.

And, as mentioned, Maurer played his best game of the season against the Bulldogs, and he at least put a spark into Tennessee’s offense against the Gators.

Still, it was Guarantano who led the Vols down the stretch- on the road at Kentucky and Missouri, and in a joyous, rain-soaked win against Vanderbilt before the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Pruitt’s stubbornness in sticking with Guarantano will certainly inject confidence into him for this season, and perhaps Maurer was simply encouraging and praising his teammate’s efforts in tabbing him as the projected starter.

But that comment could also signal bad news for Pruitt where Maurer- and the other quarterbacks- are concerned.

If Pruitt, Chaney, and co. want to maximize the potential of each quarterback on the Vols’ roster, they need to insist that each day is an open competition for the starting spot.

Otherwise, no competition among quarterbacks could mean a serious drop-off in experience and preparation should Guarantano slide backward like we saw last season.

If he does, and other quarterbacks are in the same boat as Maurer in assuming that Guarantano will get the nod anyway, then Tennessee’s offense could be in for a rude awakening come Fall 2020.