Tennessee Vols redshirt freshman quarterback George MacIntyre is considered the favorite to win the starting job on Rocky Top this fall.

MacIntyre is battling true freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado Buffaloes transfer Ryan Staub for the job.

Brandon is a former five-star recruit who is viewed as a legitimate threat to win the job, but MacIntyre’s year of experience in Josh Heupel’s offensive system gives him a slight edge in this battle.

“A lot of people just kind of assume that George is going to be the guy because he was here for a year,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price Wednesday on WNML’s Josh and Swain. “I think that’s a bad assumption to make. I think George does have a slight inside track, because he does have time on task in the system. But [his] number of reps with the first team is the same (as Brandon). The number of reps with the second team isn’t a whole lot different. It’s more so just being in the system, knowing how to practice, what they like in practice, and all of those types of things that Faizon has to try to figure out.

“George is about 200 (pounds), Faizon is 215 (pounds). Faizon is bigger. He’s 6-foot-4/215, whereas George is 6-foot-6/200. So this is a time where George has to continue to get bigger. He needs to be 210 sometime by May….For him, it’s just about getting bigger to be able to withstand the punishment. But I think right now, he does have a slight leg up just because of time on task in the system. But that does not mean he is locked in and is going to be Tennessee’s starter. This is a total open competition, and he’s going to have to go out and earn it and win it.”

Tennessee’s starting quarterback battle will officially get underway on March 16 when spring practice begins.

Where ESPN ranks Tennessee Vols QB George MacIntyre

ESPN ranked the top 68 quarterbacks in Power-4 conferences this week.

I figured MacIntyre would be near the bottom of their rankings considering the Tennessee native attempted just nine passes as a true freshman last season.

So I was actually a bit surprised to see MacIntyre ranked at No. 49, ahead of several quarterbacks with significant starting experience (such as Arkansas transfer Jaylen Raynor, who is now at Iowa State).

“He’ll have to fend off five-star freshman Faizon Brandon, but MacIntyre was a four-star himself and spent the past year learning the ins and outs of the system,” wrote ESPN’s Bill Connelly. “The odds are always good that a Josh Heupel QB will produce: Over the past five years, the Vols’ starters have averaged 3,015 yards and 24 TDs per year with a 67% completion rate, and the last time they started a freshman (Nico Iamaleava in 2023), they made the CFP.”

MacIntyre hasn’t started a game yet, so any ranking near the bottom of this list would’ve been fair. ESPN, though, clearly recognizes his talent, and it wouldn’t be a surprise (if he wins the job) if MacIntyre is ranked much higher by the end of the season.

Tennessee Volunteers News

ESPN suggests that Vols QB Faizon Brandon could have a role in Tennessee’s offense even if he doesn’t win the starting job

Tennessee Vols true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon will compete for the starting job this spring and fall.

Zach Ragan