ESPN is giving an early look at its forecast for the upcoming SEC football season in 2026 by predicting every starting quarterback in the conference next fall. Some of the names are familiar returners, such as Texas quarterback Arch Manning and South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Others are names that college football fans might be previously familiar with, such as former Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt, who is now with LSU.
And some predictions involve players that might not be anywhere close to a household name yet, but they could be in line to step into the spotlight in the fall. That’s where Tennessee’s situation comes in.
ESPN’s trio of analysts, featuring Eli Lederman, Max Olson, and Adam Rittenberg, predict redshirt freshman George MacIntyre to be the starting signal caller when Tennessee takes the field for the season opener against Furman on Sept. 5. It’s important to note that the prediction is only for who will start the season, not for who will finish it.
Let’s address the elephant in the room before getting to the MacIntyre analysis. The ESPN trio did not list Joey Aguilar as the starting quarterback, noting that it’s “hard to tell” what the plan is for Aguilar with the quarterback still going through the legal process as he seeks eligibility. Therefore, they took the safe route and decided on MacIntyre over true freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub.
“The Franklin, Tennessee, native was the No. 109 overall recruit in the 2025 SC Next 300 and threw for 69 yards on 7-of-9 passing in two nonconference appearances during his redshirt season,” ESPN wrote about MacIntyre.
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MacIntyre spent his first collegiate season with Tennessee in 2025 as the third-string quarterback behind starter Joey Aguilar and then-redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger. Aguilar transferred to Tennessee after spring practice and won the job over the two freshmen during fall camp. Merklinger’s status as the older of the two backups gave him the nod as the second-string, but reports around the program during fall camp suggested that MacIntyre looked pretty good for a true freshman. He didn’t see much game action on the field, though. And despite gaining Staub through the portal last week, the current thought is that MacIntyre could be the early frontrunner for 2026 among the trio.
ESPN does acknowledge its belief that Brandon is a genuine player in Tennessee’s competition which will unfold during spring ball and fall camp. And if not now, it’s only a matter of time.
“The short-term situation might be in question at the moment, but Faizon Brandon gives Tennessee an elite prospect to build around over the next few years,” ESPN writes. “The 6-foot-4, 206-pound passer from North Carolina was ESPN’s No. 9 overall recruit in the 2026 class and will look to compete for the starting job and prove he’s ready to lead this team as a true freshman.”
Other notable SEC quarterback predictions include Alabama starting redshirt freshman Keelon Russell, Florida starting Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo, Kentucky starting Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey, and Vanderbilt starting true freshman Jared Curtis.
Check out ESPN’s full list here.
