Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel made a questionable decision in the Music City Bowl that could have a negative impact on the program in 2026.

The Vols were in a similar position in the Music City Bowl against Illinois as they were in 2023 in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa.

Two years ago, the Vols started true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the Citrus Bowl instead of Joe Milton, who had started every regular season game for Tennessee in 2023.

Milton technically “opted out” of the Citrus Bowl, but it was obvious that the move was made so that Iamaleava, who was set to be the Vols’ starting quarterback in 2024, could get some important game reps under his belt.

Heupel took a different approach in the Music City Bowl on Tuesday in Nashville.

Josh Heupel probably should’ve played true freshman QB George MacIntyre against Illinois

Instead of playing true freshman quarterback George MacIntyre in the 30-28 loss to Illinois, Heupel chose to stick with senior Joey Aguilar, who almost certainly won’t be back at Tennessee in 2026.

And that was probably a mistake.

It’s not that I think Tennessee would’ve had a better offensive performance with MacIntyre under center (I have no idea how MacIntyre would’ve played because we’ve barely seen him in action), but those reps would’ve been incredibly beneficial for the young quarterback’s development.

The Vols are likely going to add a transfer quarterback to the roster this offseason. But as the roster stands right now, Tennessee has just two scholarship quarterbacks for 2026 — MacIntyre and incoming five-star signee Faizon Brandon.

Those two quarterbacks have a combined nine collegiate pass attempts.

It’s unlikely that either MacIntyre or Brandon starts the first game of the 2026 season for the Vols. Both MacIntyre and Brandon, however, will be just a snap away from being the guy next fall.

With that in mind, would it have been smarter for Heupel to start MacIntyre against Illinois and live with the result of a true freshman starting? Or would it have been smarter to try to win the game with Aguilar under center for every offensive snap?

It’s easy to say, in retrospect, that starting MacIntyre would’ve been the right move after Tennessee lost the game.

But I think there’s a strong argument that it would’ve been the right move win or lose.

The result of the Music City Bowl doesn’t really matter that much. Sure, Tennessee’s players wanted to go out with a win. But when those players think back on their UT careers, the result of the 2025 Music City Bowl probably won’t be the first thing that comes to mind.

So what did Tennessee gain by playing Aguilar?

I can’t think of any real positive for the program, outside of the fact that fans got to see Aguilar in a Tennessee uniform one more time. That’s a fun story, but fun stories don’t win football games.

There’s no substitute for game reps. MacIntyre, even if he’s not going to be the starter in 2026, would’ve undoubtedly taken a step forward in his development had he played on Tuesday against Illinois. And the Vols would’ve been a better team for it.

Instead, Heupel made a decision that failed to maximize Tennessee’s opportunity to improve as a program during bowl season. And it’s a decision that could have a lasting impact on the Vols in 2026.

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