Tennessee football is going to have a new starting quarterback for the 2026 season. With Joey Aguilar not being granted his request for a preliminary injunction that would allow him to return, Josh Heupel and the Vols are holding another quarterback battle for the starting job this offseason.
The trio of contedors to lead the UT offense are George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon and Ryan Staub. MacIntyre is the only player of the three to have experience in the system for Tennessee, though. He served as the third-string quarterback a year ago as a true freshman.
In this time, MacIntyre attempted nine passes and completed seven of them. He threw for a total of 69 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He went 6-for-7 for 52 yards against ETSU and 1-for-2 for 17 yards against New Mexico State.
Here’s a look at all nine pass attempts MacIntyre had as a true freshman:
Every pass attempt from Tennessee QB George MacIntyre during his true freshman 2025 season ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bFcxOrfGeF
— Ryan Sylvia (@RyanTSylvia) February 22, 2026
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MacIntyre was a highly-rated in-state recruit in the 2025 class. 247 Composite listed him as the No. 151 player in the country, No. 13 quarterback and No. 2 player from the state of Tennessee. He played at Brentwood Academy.
The Vols list MacIntyre at 6-foot-6, 195 pounds. He’ll need to put on some weight ahead of next season if he’s named the starter, though. Nico Iamaleava was also listed at 6-foot-6 at UT, but 215 pounds, which was still considered on the lighter side.
MacIntyre’s main competition for the job is Brandon. The former five-star prospect enters his true freshman season, but was considered the No. 3 player in the country by 247 in the 2026 class.
Staub is also a name to watch, joining the battle with the most college experience. He enters his redshirt-junior year after spending three seasons at Colorado, but didn’t have much sustained success over his 10 appearances and one start.
