Vols quarterback Keller Chryst 'too talented' to be backup, Stanford coach David Shaw says

Mike Wilson | Knoxville

This time last year, Keller Chryst was preparing for Year 2 as the starting quarterback at Stanford.

But months later, Chryst was injured, then relegated to backup with a future as only QB2 for the Cardinal. With that in mind, Stanford coach David Shaw recently said he was fine with Chryst seeking an opportunity to start — one that landed him at Tennessee.

“For a guy like Keller, I told him flat-out that he was too talented to be a backup for me — that he could find a place to be a starting quarterback in college football,” Shaw said on ESPN’s Campus Connection podcast with Ivan Maisel.

Clips from Vols football practice Aug. 15, 2018 Tennessee held a preseason practice on Wednesday, with Trey Smith getting work in some light contact drills.

Chryst started 13 games in the past two seasons for Stanford, holding an 11-2 mark as a starter. He finished the 2016 season as the starter, then started the 2017 season with the role. But he missed time with an injury before losing the starting job to K.J. Costello, who maintained a stranglehold on the job.

So the 6-foot-5, 239-pound quarterback came to Tennessee as a graduate transfer in pursuit of a starting position in his final season of college football. Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt indicated Sunday there hasn’t been any separation in the quarterback competition, which is believed to be between Chryst and sophomore Jarrett Guarantano.

But that chance to compete is what Shaw hoped Chyrst could get with a change of scenery for his final year — and he thinks Chryst has the potential to play in the NFL.

“To try to talk him into staying as a fifth-year senior just to be a backup for us, I said, you know, you can't do that,” Shaw said. “That's not for you, that's not for your betterment. If you can go some place, find a place to play and play up to his ability — this guy's a draft pick, top half of the draft."

Chryst completed 54.2 percent of his passes last season for 962 yards and eight touchdowns.

On Tuesday, he was named to the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award — which is presented annually to the top senior or fourth-year junior quarterback in college football — despite being in the middle of a competition to be the starter.

But Chryst has shown the player he can be in the past, with Shaw saying there were “flashes of brilliance” in his play at Stanford.

“The Oregon game this past year, you couldn't play better at quarterback than he played in that game, just outstanding,” Shaw said. “Had some games that weren't as good, had some games that were really good, got injured, young quarterback (Costello) got a chance to go out there and gave us a better chance to win.

"As much as it was hard for me to come to that conclusion, that was the conclusion we had to come to.”

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