The big question for the Tennessee Vols in the aftermath of their 24-14 win over the Auburn Tigers was the quarterback position, particularly who would start on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

It appears we now have that answer.

Per ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Josh Heupel has tabbed redshirt freshman George MacIntyre to start against the Hogs.

Sources: Tennessee will start George MacIntyre against Arkansas this weekend. It’ll be his first career start. Faizon Brandon is dealing with a shoulder injury from the Texas game.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 6, 2026

Tennessee to start George MacIntyre on Saturday against Arkansas, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel

True freshman Faizon Brandon, who was battered and banged up from being sacked 10 times against Texas, struggled against the Tigers last weekend, going 3/8 passing for no yards and an interception before getting pulled. MacIntyre came in and helped spark two second half touchdown drives, finishing 8/10 passing with 86 yards.

Josh Heupel raised an eyebrow or two on Monday during his press conference, when he admitted that Brandon’s shoulder injury was affecting his performance.

“Faizon obviously wasn’t at his best,” Heupel said. “He was dealing with getting injured in the Texas game. It was affecting his game.”

Brandon was not on the availability report leading up to the Auburn game, which was interesting given Heupel’s comments on Monday.

We’ll see on Wednesday if Brandon is on the report this week ahead of the Arkansas game, but it’s hard to argue against the fact the Vols are going with the player who’s healthier going into Saturday.