The Tennessee Vols are staring down the barrel of an SEC football schedule and the starting quarterback position is still in doubt.

The Vols struggling to find a bonafide leader at QB is a tale as old as time. As a result, the best player on the team is usually the backup quarterback that we haven’t seen play yet, as far as us Big Orange fans are concerned.

And with new coach Josh Heupel still getting his bearings, the same old discussion has reared its ugly head. Joe Milton hasn’t been getting the job done all that well under center through two games. Hendon Hooker came in against Pittsburgh after Milton was injured and looked better than Milton, if not encouragingly good, but he still threw an ill-advised interception and probably won’t make UT a world beater. So, everybody wants to know….

What’s the deal with Harrison Bailey?

Bailey had lots of hype when Jeremy Pruitt locked him in to coming to Tennessee and fans saw some interesting play from him last season during the minuscule amount of time that he was allowed to play. Given the lackluster nature of what we’ve seen from the QBs this season, lots of Vol fans are asking, could he really be that much worse?

Heupel hasn’t tipped his hand almost at all concerning Bailey. During a press conference this week, Heupel was asked about choosing Hooker over Bailey and Heupel had this to say:

"Our staff and players have great confidence in both. Hendon, just where we were in the course of practice and what we were doing offensively, I felt like it was the right time for him to be the guy to go in the football game. … Harrison is smart, competitive, plays for his teammates, pushes them in a positive way. He's a good leader inside our team. He is on our leadership council. He prepares the right way, too."

It’s a bunch of trite coach speak for the most part but I think some of the answer to why Bailey isn’t getting a shot may be in the there.

“What we were doing offensively, I felt like it was the right time for (Hooker)”… Heupel seems to really be looking for the right fit under center. Bailey is more of a pro-style player while Milton and Hooker have wheels. Heupel runs an extremely quick, simplified offense that purposefully doesn’t need a cerebral and deeply-analytical quarterback. Also, Milton and Hooker’s mobility likely gives Heupel more options for play calling and they can scramble when plays break down. So to a certain extent, the choice just makes sense.

But why not give Bailey at least a few snaps this weekend against Tennessee Tech? In fact, I think Heupel should make a genuine effort to get Bailey in the game. The Vols should easily win by 30+ points and it would quell some of the fans’ uneasiness about sticking with quarterbacks who aren’t playing that well. And you never know, you might stumble into finding your next QB like Butch Jones did with Josh Dobbs when Justin Worley got injured.

I’m not writing this to rag on Josh Heupel, he only has the players he has and he’s making the decision that he believes is best for the team. Who am I to tell him what to do? All I’m here to say is, I’m a typical Vols fan and I want to see all the quarterbacks get a shot. If Heupel is making the right decision, it should be clear when everybody gets their chance to play.

Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services