New Headline: Reigning Champion Joins Race: Staub Seeks To Reclaim Crown as F1's Next Star
Ryan Staub was a third-string quarterback on a three-win team at Colorado. But Deion Sanders vouches for his ability.
You probably shrugged when Tennessee football announced the signing of backup Colorado quarterback Ryan Staub in January. I was shrugging right along with you. The signing might have seemed just as inconsequential even after a local judge ruled that UT quarterback Joey Aguilar shouldn’t be eligible for the 2026 season .
A backup quarterback from a nine-loss team that ranked 116 th nationally in points per game? That wouldn’t register on the excitability meter. Never mind the loss of Aguilar.
The Vols still had two heralded recruits in redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and freshman Faizon Brandon. Sure, they’re inexperienced, which is why I put the Vols near the bottom of the SEC when ranking conference quarterbacks for the upcoming season. That ranking was based on what they had accomplished, not what they might achieve as a starting quarterback.
I filed Staub under “panic insurance” for a coaching staff that would twitch uncontrollably at the sight of a depth chart that listed only two quarterbacks. And then, I thought about Rick Clausen. His brother Casey was Tennessee’s starting quarterback for four seasons (2000-03).