Spring practice has gotten underway for the Tennessee Volunteers, and the biggest question is just who will be the starting quarterback for Josh Heupel’s squad. Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, former Colorado quarterback Ryan Staub, and highly touted true freshman Faizon Brandon are all battling for the job.
Amid this competition, Brandon, although lacking college experience, has already been impressive. Brandon, MacIntyre, and Staub are fighting to replace Joey Aguilar, who did an admirable job for the Vols after transferring in from Appalachian State.
Josh Heupel Evaluates Faizon Brandon and the Tennessee Quarterback Battle
Aguilar completed 272 of 404 passes (67.3%) for 3,565 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He added another four touchdowns on the ground and earned a PFSN QB Impact score of 85.0, good for a grade of B.
Still, despite Aguilar’s strong play, the Vols had a disappointing 2025. They finished just 8-5 a year after a 10-2 season saw them selected for the College Football Playoff, where they were defeated in the first round by Ohio State, the eventual national champions.
Tennessee football HC Josh Heupel on QB Faizon Brandon:
“As a true freshman, certainly pleased with what he’s done up until this point.”
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) April 2, 2026
“As a true freshman, certainly pleased with what he’s done up until this point,” Heupel said. When asked about the comments, Heupel smiled and joked, “Yeah, nobody will read anything into it.”
According to Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel, no player has separated themselves yet. Heupel’s words, combined with reports of Brandon’s quick progress, have to have Vols fans excited.
Of course, they recently had a similar situation, and it did not play out the way they would have liked. Tennessee’s last quarterback with this much hype before taking a snap was Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava had a nice freshman season, helping Tennessee earn that playoff berth, but rumors of NIL demands led to Iamaleava’s transfer to UCLA.
Location likely played a role, as Iamaleava is a native of Long Beach. Although Heupel seems pleased with the quarterbacks’ progress, he acknowledged they still have a long way to go.
“In general, I’ve been pleased with their decision making and taking care of the football by all quarterbacks,” Heupel said. “But there have been a couple of things where they’ve maybe not seen it right or as the play has broken down had to move their body in an awkward position. They haven’t been as accurate or as sound in the decision making in those instances.”
Brandon was a five-star recruit in the class of 2026 and was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback and No. 1 player overall in the 2026 class by the 247Sports Composite rankings.
MacIntyre was considered a four-star prospect in the class of 2025. He attempted nine passes last season, completing seven for 69 yards. Staub has appeared in 12 games in his career, making two starts. He has completed 53 of 99 passes (53.5%) for 681 yards with four touchdown passes, one touchdown run, and four interceptions.
The Vols have plenty of time to get things worked out. They will open the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Furman. Their first real test will come a week later when they head to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech.
