One thing became very evident about Tennessee’s QB battle after George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon met with media ahead of fall camp
Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon are battling for the Tennessee Vols’ starting quarterback job in fall camp.
Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon met with reporters on Tuesday as they prepare to battle for the Tennessee Vols’ starting quarterback job during fall camp.
Both quarterbacks seemed relaxed and focused while speaking with reporters.
The biggest thing I noticed from both players — and I don’t think this is a bad thing — is that these two quarterbacks don’t seem to have the same close friendship that former Vols Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton had during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre aren’t besties, but they respect each other
MacIntyre and Brandon clearly have respect for each other, but they also left no doubt that they understand they’re competing against each other for a job.
“It’s definitely very competitive between us two,” said Brandon when asked about his relationship with MacIntyre. “There’s some things he can learn from me and I can learn from him. I take stuff from him and Ryan (Staub) all the time to apply it to my game because they do some great stuff, too. We talk in the facility. We have a pretty good relationship, but it’s competing at the end of the day. It’s nothing bad between us, though.”
MacIntyre made it clear there’s support for each other in the quarterback room, even though they’re competing for the starting job.
“I think you definitely have to find a balance between it,” said MacIntyre when asked about balancing supporting teammates while knowing he’s trying to win the job. “I think we all know in the quarterback room what the vibe is and we’re going to support whoever’s out there on the field at that given time. I think we do a good job of supporting each other and supporting ourselves when we’re in.”
Brandon and MacIntyre didn’t go too in depth about their personal relationship with each other, but there were hints that they aren’t hanging out around the clock.
For example, Brandon described their relationship as good, but he also specifically noted that they talk “in the facility,” seemingly suggesting they aren’t hanging out much outside the facility.
And when in the facility not doing football activities, you’re more likely to find Brandon playing ping pong while MacIntyre said he’s usually playing video games in the players’ lounge.
I don’t think there’s any animosity between the two quarterbacks or anything like that. I just think it’s clear that it’s not the Milton/Hooker friendship we saw a couple of years ago.
And again, I think that’s a good thing. Healthy competition brings out the best in players.
Peyton Manning, for example, famously locked Branndon Stewart out of a team meeting in 1994 when the two players were competing for a higher spot on the depth chart.
From The Grantland: The Manning-Stewart competition accelerated when fifth-year senior Jerry Colquitt injured his ACL in the season’s first game. Backup Todd Helton struggled with ineffectiveness and then injuries,1 leaving the job to the freshmen. While Manning and Stewart were always on friendly terms, Manning never missed a chance to gain an edge. “I locked [Stewart] out of a quarterback meeting one night,” Manning wrote. “We were scheduled to meet with coaches at eight o’clock, when a lot of the buildings on campus are closed and everything looks deserted. I was walking through one of the doors they had kept open for us and it ‘accidentally’ closed behind me, locking automatically. I knew Branndon was running late and that he’d have to get through that door. I didn’t bother to prop it back open.”
MacIntyre and Brandon are going to support each other and be good teammates. But at the end of the day, they’re both there to win the job. Their primary focus is becoming the best Tennessee quarterback they can be each day.
It should be a fun few weeks as this competition heats up in fall camp.
