Former Stanford QB Keller Chryst Commits to Tennessee as Graduate Transfer

Keller Chryst will use his graduate transfer to play for the Tennessee Volunteers in 2018. 

Chryst, who played for the Stanford Cardinal for four years, announced Thursday on Twitter he's transferring to Tennessee:

Chryst threw for 1,926 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions in 23 games at Stanford.

His move to Knoxville benefits all parties involved.

The fifth-year senior will have an opportunity to play for a major Power Five program, while the Volunteers get an experienced quarterback who can immediately jump into the starting role. Despite his lackluster numbers, Chryst should be an upgrade over Jarrett Guarantano, who was the team's leading passer in 2017 with 997 yards.

Quinten Dormady announced his plans to transfer from Tennessee in January, which exacerbated the team's lack of depth at quarterback.

Prior to selecting the Volunteers, Chryst told 247Sports' Ryan Callahan the Tennessee coaching staff hadn't assured him he'd be the starter if he came aboard, though.

"They're just looking for a guy, someone who can go in there and win games for them," he said. "And that's something I want to do, as well. You always want to compete. You never trust someone that promises you anything. You're going in to compete for a job, essentially."

Volunteers fans likely won't have high expectations for head coach Jeremy Pruitt in his first season. After Tennessee went 4-8 in 2017, it's abundantly clear there isn't an immediate fix for the program.

By adding Chryst, Jeremy Pruitt and his staff can essentially buy themselves more time to either sign a blue-chip QB recruit in 2019 or further the development of 3-star recruit JT Shrout, who was the No. 26 pro-style quarterback in 2018, per 247Sports' composite rankings.