# List of Tennessee Volunteers starting quarterbacks

This is a list of notable Tennessee Volunteers starting quarterbacks and the years they participated on the Tennessee Volunteers football team.

## Starting Quarterbacks

| * | Selected to All conference Team |

### 1971 to present

The following players were notable quarterbacks for the Tennessee Volunteers since UT joined the Southeastern Conference in 1933.
| Year | Name | Class | First career start | GS | Record | Notes |
| 2024 | Nico Iamaleava | Fr. | | 13 | 10–3 | |
| 2023 | Joe Milton III | 6th Year | | 12 | 8–4 | |
| 2023 | Nico Iamaleava | Fr. | January 1 | 1 | 1–0 | First career start on January 1st, 2024 against #17 Iowa. Citrus Bowl MVP |
| 2022 | Joe Milton III | Sr. | | 2 | 2–0 | Orange Bowl MVP |
| 2022 | Hendon Hooker | 6th Year | | 11 | 9–2 | SEC Offensive Player of the Year, All-SEC First Team |
| 2021 | Joe Milton III | Jr. | September 2 | 2 | 1–1 | |
| 2021 | Hendon Hooker | Sr. | September 18 | 9 | 5–4 | |
| 2020 | Jarrett Guarantano | Sr. | | 7 | 2–5 | Transferred to Washington State |
| 2020 | Harrison Bailey | Fr. | December 5 | 3 | 1–2 | Transferred to UNLV |
| 2019 | Jarrett Guarantano | Jr. | | 7 | 4–3 | |
| 2019 | Brian Maurer | Fr. | October 6 | 4 | 2–2 | Transferred to Stephen F. Austin |
| 2019 | J. T. Shrout | Fr. | November 2 | 2 | 2–0 | Transferred to Colorado |
| 2018 | Jarrett Guarantano | So. | | 12 | 5–7 | |
| 2017 | Jarrett Guarantano | Fr. | October 14 | 6 | 1–5 | |
| 2017 | Quinten Dormady | Jr. | September 4 | 5 | 3–2 | Transferred to Houston |
| 2017 | Will McBride | Fr. | November 11 | 1 | 0–1 | Transferred to Lamar |
| 2016 | Joshua Dobbs | Sr. | | 13 | 9–4 | Music City Bowl MVP, All-SEC Second Team, Drafted 135th overall in the 2017 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2015 | Joshua Dobbs | Jr. | | 13 | 9–4 | |
| 2014 | Justin Worley | Sr. | | 7 | 3–4 | |
| 2014 | Joshua Dobbs | So. | | 5 | 4–1 | Taxslayer Bowl MVP |
| 2014 | Nathan Peterman | So. | | 1 | 0–1 | Transferred to Pittsburgh. Drafted 171st overall in the 2017 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills |
| 2013 | Justin Worley | Jr. | | 7 | 4–3 | |
| 2013 | Joshua Dobbs | Fr. | November 2 | 4 | 1–3 | |
| 2013 | Nathan Peterman | Fr. | September 21 | 1 | 0–1 | |
| 2012 | Tyler Bray | Jr. | | 12 | 5–7 | |
| 2011 | Tyler Bray | So. | | 7 | 4–3 | |
| 2011 | Justin Worley | Fr. | October 29 | 3 | 1–2 | |
| 2011 | Matt Simms | Sr. | | 2 | 0–2 | |
| 2010 | Matt Simms | Jr. | September 4 | 8 | 2–6 | |
| 2010 | Tyler Bray | Fr. | November 6 | 5 | 4–1 | |
| 2009 | Jonathan Crompton | Sr. | | 13 | 7–6 | |
| 2008 | Jonathan Crompton | Jr. | | 6 | 3–3 | |
| 2008 | Nick Stephens | Fr. | October 4 | 6 | 2–4 | |
| 2007 | Erik Ainge | Sr. | | 14 | 10–4 | Played 6 games under the influence of prescription painkillers |
| 2006 | Erik Ainge | Jr. | | 12 | 9–3 | |
| 2006 | Jonathan Crompton | Fr. | November 11 | 1 | 0–1 | |
| 2005 | Erik Ainge | So. | | 5 | 4-1 | |
| 2005 | Rick Clausen | Sr. | | 6 | 1-5 | |
| 2004 | Erik Ainge | Fr. | October 2 | 6 | 4–2 | SEC Offensive Freshman of the Year |
| 2004 | Rick Clausen | Jr. | November 20 | 4 | 3–1 | Cotton Bowl Classic Offensive MVP |
| 2004 | Brent Schaeffer | Fr. | September 5 | 3 | 3–0 | Transferred to the College of the Sequoias, later Ole Miss |
| 2003 | Casey Clausen | Sr. | | 13 | 10–3 | |
| 2002 | Casey Clausen | Jr. | | 11 | 7–4 | |
| 2002 | C.J. Leak | Jr. | October 12 | 1 | 0–1 | |
| 2002 | James Banks | Fr. | November 16 | 1 | 1–0 | |
| 2001 | Casey Clausen | So. | | 13 | 11–2 | Florida Citrus Bowl MVP |
| 2000 | Casey Clausen | Fr. | October 21 | 7 | 6–1 | |
| 2000 | A.J. Suggs | Fr. | September 16 | 4 | 1–3 | Transferred to Georgia Tech |
| 2000 | Joey Mathews | So. | September 2 | 1 | 1–0 | |
| 1999 | Tee Martin | Sr. | | 12 | 9–3 | All-SEC First Team |
| 1998 | Tee Martin | Jr. | September 5 | 13 | 13–0 | Led Tennessee to the 1998 National Championship. He broke the NCAA record for consecutive completions. |
| 1997 | Peyton Manning | Sr. | | 13 | 11–2 | 1997 Heisman Trophy Runner Up. Davey O'Brien Award. Consensus All-American. SEC Player of the Year. All-SEC First Team. SEC Championship MVP. Florida Citrus Bowl MVP |
| 1996 | Peyton Manning | Jr. | | 12 | 10–2 | Third Team All-American. All-SEC Second Team. |
| 1995 | Peyton Manning | So. | | 12 | 11–1 | All-SEC First Team. |
| 1994 | Peyton Manning | Fr. | September 24 | 8 | 7–1 | SEC Freshman of the Year |
| 1994 | Branndon Stewart | Fr. | | | | Transferred to Texas A&M. |
| 1994 | Todd Helton | Jr. | September 10 | 3 | 1–2 | Played in 1994 until Peyton Manning took over primary QB duties. Went on to play Major League Baseball. |
| 1994 | Jerry Colquitt | Sr. | September 3 | 1 | 0–1 | |
| 1993 | Heath Shuler | Jr. | | 12 | 10–2 | 1993 Heisman Trophy Runner Up. SEC Player of the Year. All-SEC First Team. |
| 1992 | Heath Shuler | So. | September 5 | 12 | 9–3 | Hall of Fame Bowl MVP |
| 1991 | Andy Kelly | Sr. | | 12 | 9–3 | |
| 1990 | Andy Kelly | Jr. | | 13 | 9–2–2 | Cotton Bowl MVP, All-SEC Second Team. |
| 1989 | Andy Kelly | So. | October 21 | 6 | 6–0 | |
| 1989 | Sterling Henton | So. | September 2 | 6 | 5–1 | |
| 1988 | Jeff Francis | Sr. | | 11 | 5–6 | |
| 1987 | Jeff Francis | Jr. | | 13 | 10–2–1 | |
| 1986 | Jeff Francis | So. | September 6 | 12 | 7–5 | Liberty Bowl MVP |
| 1985 | Daryl Dickey | Sr. | | 7 | 6–0–1 | Sugar Bowl MVP, became starter after Robinson injury – Team beat Miami in Sugar Bowl |
| 1985 | Tony Robinson | Sr. | | 5 | 4–1 | In 1985 was considered a Heisman candidate until season ending knee injury. |
| 1984 | Daryl Dickey | Jr. | September 22 | 1 | 0–0–1 | |
| 1984 | Tony Robinson | Jr. | September 1 | 11 | 7–4 | All-SEC First Team. |
| 1983 | Alan Cockrell | Jr. | | 12 | 9–3 | |
| 1982 | Alan Cockrell | So. | | 12 | 6–5–1 | |
| 1981 | Alan Cockrell | Fr. | September 19 | 2 | 2–0 | |
| 1981 | Steve Alatorre | Sr. | | 8 | 6–2 | Garden State Bowl MVP |
| 1981 | Jeff Olszewski | Sr. | | 2 | 0–2 | |
| 1980 | Steve Alatorre | Jr. | October 18 | 6 | 2–4 | |
| 1980 | Jeff Olszewski | Jr. | September 6 | 5 | 3–2 | |
| 1979 | Jimmy Streater | Sr. | | 12 | 7–5 | All-SEC (UPI). Nicknamed the "Sylva Streak" |
| 1978 | Jimmy Streater | Jr. | | 11 | 5–5–1 | |
| 1977 | Jimmy Streater | So. | September 10 | 9 | 4–5 | |
| 1977 | Pat Ryan | Sr. | October 8 | 2 | 0–2 | |
| 1976 | Randy Wallace | Sr. | | 11 | 6–5 | |
| 1975 | Randy Wallace | Jr. | September 14 | 12 | 7–5 | |
| 1974 | Condredge Holloway | Sr. | | 12 | 7–3–2 | |
| 1973 | Condredge Holloway | Jr. | | 11 | 7–4 | Holloway was one of the first African-American quarterbacks to receive national exposure. His nickname at Tennessee was the "Artful Dodger". |
| 1972 | Condredge Holloway | So. | September 9 | 11 | 9–2 | |
| 1971 | Jim Maxwell | Sr. | October 30 | 6 | 6–0 | |
| 1971 | Phil Pierce | Sr. | October 2 | 4 | 3–1 | |
| 1971 | Dennis Chadwick | Jr. | September 18 | 2 | 1–1 | |

### 1933 to 1970 (incomplete)

| Name | Year | Notes |
| Bobby Scott | 1969–1970 | |
| Bubba Wyche | 1968 | |
| Dewey Warren | 1966–1967 | |
| Charles Fulton | 1965 | |
| Art Galiffa | 1964–1966 | |
| Mallon Faircloth | 1961–1963 | |
| Glenn Glass | 1960–1961 | |
| Billy Majors | 1958–1960 | |
| Bobby Gordon | 1957 | |
| Johnny Majors | 1956 | |
| Jimmy Beutel | 1954–1955 |
| Bill Barbish | 1953 |
| Hal Hubbard | 1952 |
| Bill Blackstock | 1951 |
| Jimmy Hahn | 1950–1951 | Jacobs Blocking Trophy |
| Jimmy Hill | 1949–1950 |
| Jack Armstrong | 1948 |
| Orvis Milner | 1947 | Founder of the UT quarterback club. |
| Walter Slater | 1946 | |
| Buzz Warren | 1943–1944 | |
| Jim Gaffney | 1943 | 1943 season suspended due to WWII |
| Johnny Butler | 1941 | Butler wore number 22. |
| Van Thompson | 1940 | |
| George Cafego | 1938–1939 | Two-time All-American. Heisman finalist. Number 1 overall pick of 1940 NFL draft. |
| Walter Wood | 1937 | |
| Phil Dickens | 1935–1936 | |
| Charles Vaughn | 1934 | |
| Beattie Feathers | 1933 | SEC Player of the Year |

### 1922 to 1932

The following quarterbacks were the predominant quarters for the Volunteers each season after the establishment of the Southern Conference until the establishment of the Southeastern Conference.
| Name | Years Started | Notability |
| Deke Brackett | 1931–1932 | Led Tennessee along with Beattie Feathers to 1932 Southern title. |
| Bobby Dodd | 1928–1930 | Twice All-Southern. Later coached Georgia Tech to the 1952 National Championship. One of only three elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as both player and coach. |
| Roy Witt | 1928 | |
| D. Vincent Tudor | 1927–1929 | |
| Jimmy Elmore | 1927 | |
| Billy Harkness | 1924–1926 | |
| Jimmie Smith | 1922 | |

### 1896 to 1921 (incomplete)

The following quarterbacks were the predominant quarters for the Volunteers each season after the establishment of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association until the establishment of the Southern Conference.
| Name | Years Started | Notability |
| Roe Campbell | 1921–1924 | Awarded the Porter Cup in 1922. Campbell attended Tusculum College before Tennessee, where he is a member of its sports Hall of Fame |
| Joe Evans | 1920 | |
| Willis McCabe | 1919 | Won The Porter Cup |
| Buck Hatcher | 1916 | Led the Vols to their second SIAA title. The New York Times ranked him as the season's premier punter. |
| Bill May | 1914–1915 | Led Tennessee to 1914 SIAA title, the first championship of any kind for the program. This season also featured Tennessee's first victory over Vanderbilt |
| Red Rainey | 1913 | All-Southern. |
| Rufus Branch | 1909–1912 | |
| Chauncey Raulston | 1909 | |
| J. C. Loucks | 1906–1908 | |
| Walker Leach | 1905 | Captain of 1908 team. |
| T. R. Watkins | 1903–1904 |
| Sax Crawford | 1901–1902 | He coached Tennessee in 1904, scoring the first ever win over Alabama. |
| J. G. Logan | 1900 | |
| C. L. Bryan | 1899 | |
| Strang Nicklin | 1897 | Nicklin transferred from UNC to UT in 1896. He was the first UT athlete to play major league baseball and the first to play in a World Series game. His paid baseball participation, together with playing baseball players who were not enrolled, occasioned the blacklisting of Tennessee by the SIAA in 1897. |
| D. C. Chapman | 1896 | |

### 1891 to 1893

The following players were the predominant quarters for the Volunteers each season the team was a non-conference independent team, following the birth of Tennessee football.
| Name | Years Started | Notability | References |
| Howard Ijams | 1891–1893 | First Volunteer quarterback to play Vanderbilt. | |