Tennessee football’s quarterback room is seemingly set, barring a growingly unlikely decision to give Joey Aguilar an additional year of eligibility. On Sunday, the Vols landed Colorado transfer Ryan Staub to complete the group, giving UT three options to compete for the starting job.
Staub, who has little in-game experience but three years of college football under his belt, will be the veteran. He is joined by redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon.
With the QB room picture clear, college football insider Chris Low gave his thoughts on the position during the RTI Low-Down podcast with Bob Baskerville. He understands Staub isn’t as flashy of a name as Tennessee’s been tied to, such as Sam Leavitt, but liked the move from a competition standpoint.
More From RTI: WATCH: Highlights of New Tennessee Football QB Ryan Staub at Colorado
“They did not go out and get what you would call a high-profile quarterback in this portal, but what is a high-profile quarterback? Sometimes, guys surprise,” Low said on the RTI Low-Down. “I don’t know if Trinidad Chambliss was a high-profile addition this time a year ago. They got the Staub kid from Colorado, he’s played some. He played all of five games this year.
“But you know, Bob, they needed more than anything, they needed to bring somebody else in that room where they could continue to create competition. They did not need to go into next season with two kids who had never really played at all. One never played and the other played very, very sparingly and certainly someone who has never started in a game before.
“Now, you bring in Staub from Colorado, who has played some. Now, granted he has not led a football team for an entire season, but you now have three people that you can look at in the spring, you can evaluate, they can work with the receivers, you got all the 7-on-7s that you have to do to build chemistry in your pass game.
“He comes in and you evaluate three and you let those guys get with the receivers, build that continuity up. Then, you have the spring practice and you have the preseason to decide who’s your best quarterback. And whether it’s MacIntyre or this kid, Staub, or I don’t know if they’re going to play the true freshman right out the gate, that seems far-fetched. But you have three to compare against each other. And probably more importantly, you have three that can push each other and create that competition.
“The people you can’t fool are the players. They know who is the best guy. They see him out there. Who is working the hardest? Who is the most committed to the team? Who is making the throws in practice? Who is getting the ball out on time? Who has the best chemistry with the receivers? So now you have somebody else who has played to sort of be able to make that decision.”
More From RTI: Which Former Vols Will Be Playing in the NFL’s Conference Championship Weekend?
The jockeying for position in the quarterback room will begin in spring camp. All three quarterbacks, along with walk-on Mason Phillips, will get reps as they try to separate from the pack.
For MacIntyre, his advantage will be familiarity with the personnel and system. He spent last season under Josh Heupel, learning what it takes to succeed in this offense. He’s also taken a trip to Miami with a group of receivers in an attempt to get on the same page.
Brandon’s strongest attribute is his untouched ceiling. He was considered a five-star recruit out of high school, and 247 considered him the No. 2 overall recruit in the country. Even though he’s the youngest, there’s certainly an argument that he’s the most talented.
Staub joins with the most experience. While he hasn’t had overwhelming success in his showings, he still has the experience of playing Power Four football for three seasons to fall back on.
