2026 QB Helaman Casuga Fits The Profile Tennessee Looks For
The Tennessee Volunteers needed one look at 2026 quarterback Helaman Casuga (Provo, Utah) before they offered him. Casuga told Volunteer Country that Tennessee treated him as a priority throughout the visit, but after they watched him throw, he was immediately escorted to head coach Josh Heupel, who offered him on the spot.
Casuga walked us through the visit, but now it's time to go to the tape and understand what Tennessee saw. They get in early on quarterbacks they want - there are countless examples of the Vols offering underclassmen and then being in the final picture when they are upperclassmen. The coaches offered 2025 quarterbacks George MacIntyre and Deuce Knight after their freshman seasons, and the Vols are primary contenders for both. However, they are selective in their pursuits. They saw something in Casuga on Sunday, and when you turn on the tape, it's obvious what they liked.
2026 QB Helaman Casuga
The Hawaii native has clearly been playing the quarterback position for years. He resets his feet with each progression and keeps his movements light. Young quarterbacks tend to labor through their motion and overexaggerate when they reset, leading to mechanical inaccuracies and inconsistent ball placement. Casuga keeps everything light and finds the correct alley for his target each time. Though only a rising sophomore, Casuga has put an entire body of work on tape that suggests he can play on time in a college offense.
Casuga is also a high-level processor that makes full-field reads. He gets to his third read often, working the backside of concepts. It's easy for young quarterbacks to overpower defenses with their arms, but Casuga prefers to make the right football play and get his targets into open space. He knows how to identify secondary positioning and make the according adjustments in presnap. Casuga doesn't take many negative plays and keeps the ball moving forward.
It feels like a disservice that we haven't mentioned Casuga's natural arm talent. He ensures that he plays with the correct mechanics when possible, but when things break down, he has a live arm that allows him to make throws from various platforms. The ball placement is startling, and he has the torque to fit balls between defenders. He can also extend plays with his legs, but Casuga prefers to move to create throws, not to create yardage for himself. He checks many boxes from a very young age, and the Vols are sure to prioritize him moving forward.
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