Tennessee football has a good ole fashioned quarterback competition on its hand this offseason. With Joey Aguilar out of eligibility, redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon are the top candidates to win the starting job. Both were highly touted prep recruits but are still very young with little expeirence.
Despite this, ESPN play-by-play announcer and host of the Always College Football podcast Greg McElroy likes where Tennessee’s quarterback room sits entering the offseason.
“It’s a tough spot but I still am very optimistic about what the quarterback situation will look like at Tennessee,” McElory said.
MacIntyre has some experience, playing 18 snaps in two games as a true freshman. He completed seven-of-nine passes for 69 yards. But the in-game experience for the middle Tennessee native is minimal. The real benefit in his experience is the fact that he’s spent a year in Josh Heupel’s experience.
“He’s got the length. He’s got the pedigree,” McElroy said. “He’s been around the game, grew up in the game. Multiple generations of MacIntyre’s have been involved in college football. He looks like a guy who could really take that step. He can throw it. He’s very accurate and I heard some buzz last year coming out of fall camp that this guy is really impressive. Not a ridiculous amount of production so he’s kind of a blank slate.
“There is optimism around the program about what he could eventually be assuming he can get a little bit bigger. A little bit thicker and a little bit more physically mature.”
More From RTI: Jermod McCoy Says Tennessee Teammate Is Going To Be An All-American in 2026
MacIntyre is the grandson of former Vanderbilt head coach George Macintyre. He is the nephew of current Oregon State defensive coordinator and former Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre. He was a multi-year starter at Brentwood Academy in high school. Multiple things point to him having strong knowledge of the game.
One of ESPN’s top color commentators, McElroy hits the nail on the head with MacIntyre’s weight. The 6-foot-6 quarterback is still extremely lanky a year into college. Tennessee is hoping new strength coach Derek Owings has the same impact on MacIntyre that he had on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Brandon was even higher rated that MacIntyre. In fact, Brandon was one of the top two quarterbacks in the 2026 recruiting cycle until he missed much of his senior year due to injury. Still, there’s so much unknown about Brandon as he enters his true freshman season.
“This is where things get real interesting,” McElroy said. “Because Tennessee fans, you’re about to enter into a quarterback battle that will dominate every sports bar conversation in Knoxville for the next six months. Do you go with the guy that’s been in the system for a year and change or do you go with the really really shiny, beautiful new toy. History tells us that Josh Heupel does like experience. But he won’t ignore talent, that’s for sure.”
Tennessee football’s spring practice begins next month and the quarterback competition begins in true then. But entering spring practice, McElroy gives the nod to MacIntyre.
“I think George MacIntyre is probably the guy to beat right now but the margin for error in the SEC is zero,” McElory said. “So if MacIntyre comes out in week one, week two and doesn’t necessarily have the offense firing on all cylinders then the Faizon Brandon chants, they’re going to start and get loud, right?”
More to follow: College Football Betting Sites
