Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel is in a place right now where he didn’t want to be in October.

Heupel doesn’t have a settled quarterback situation entering Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.

True freshman Faizon Brandon, who won the job in fall camp, was injured against Texas two weeks ago and didn’t play well in the first half against Auburn last Saturday.

Brandon was replaced in the Auburn game by sophomore George MacIntyre, who then led the Vols to a 24-14 win over the Tigers.

MacIntyre is reportedly going to make his first career start this weekend when Tennessee travels to Fayetteville for a matchup against Arkansas.

For now, the Vols’ quarterback situation is week to week. If MacIntyre plays well against Arkansas, it’s fair to assume that he’ll start the following weekend against Alabama.

Why George MacIntyre didn’t win the job during fall camp

There’s a narrative out there that MacIntyre didn’t play well during fall camp and that’s why he didn’t win the job over Brandon, despite having a year of experience in the system.

That narrative isn’t accurate.

MacIntyre played well during fall camp. One of the big reasons why MacIntyre didn’t win the job — and it may be the biggest reason — is because Brandon is a better runner.

And we now know that Tennessee’s defense under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is absolute hell for opposing offenses, which made the running element show up even more during fall camp.

“I think his (MacIntyre) timing on everything has gotten faster,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Friday. “I don’t think he’s late with the football. I don’t think he’s slow to make a decision or to rip it, so to speak. I think that there were times in fall camp that the ball was a little bit late still, but he had a good fall camp. It wasn’t like he had a bad fall camp.

“I think Faizon’s legs in fall camp were a big standout to Tennessee as the offensive line struggled to pass protect and Faizon bailed them out on some plays, and his legs made some plays in the scrimmages as well.”

Knowles’ defense is clearly elite — just ask Arch Manning after he was sacked six times in Neyland Stadium two weeks ago.

Both of these young quarterbacks, who are still developing and learning the system, likely saw a better defense in fall camp than anything they saw during the regular season until playing Texas in Week 4.

Brandon, however, is the faster player and was able to make more plays with his legs in a controlled environment when the offensive line didn’t hold up against Knowles’ defense.

Now, that’s not to say that MacIntyre doesn’t have the ability to scramble and make plays with his legs — he certainly does. But Brandon looked more dynamic in fall camp and that put him over the top in the quarterback battle.

Traits aren’t everything, though. Brandon’s physical abilities give him a higher ceiling, but it doesn’t mean that MacIntyre doesn’t also have a high ceiling.

MacIntyre has the tools to be a great SEC quarterback. He’s tall, he can make all the throws, and he’s mobile enough to make some plays outside of the pocket.

Look at it this way: both of these quarterbacks have better physical traits than former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who is way smaller and slower than both. And yet Young was an all-time talent at Alabama. If either player reaches the level of Bryce Young, it would be a massive win for the Volunteers.

Don’t let Brandon’s physical traits take away from MacIntyre’s talent. I know it’s natural to compare the two players, but MacIntyre has enough tools in his toolbox to be an elite SEC quarterback as long as he plays smart, confident, and free.