Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel did not name a starting quarterback on Monday for the Vols’ upcoming game against Kentucky.

Sophomore George MacIntyre has started the last three games for the Vols, and the expectation is that he’ll start against Kentucky.

Heupel, though, hasn’t named MacIntyre the official starter despite the sophomore’s strong play since taking over for true freshman Faizon Brandon last month in the Vols’ win against Auburn.

Josh Heupel says he'll see how practice goes this week before naming a starting quarterback.

— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) November 2, 2026

The reaction on social media to Heupel not naming a quarterback has been surprising…at least to me.

I’ve seen a lot of fans straight up mad that Heupel isn’t naming MacIntyre the starter, and I just can’t figure out why that’s been the reaction.

I think Heupel is handling the quarterback situation well, and I don’t think he’s handling this way because he’s politicking or trying to keep either quarterback happy so they won’t transfer.

And look, I know the transfer angle is a popular narrative, and that is something that will come into play down the road, but I think Heupel is taking this approach simply to get his quarterbacks to stay in the moment. He knows that right now it’s a one-week season each week. The Vols have to go 1-o each week in November to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, and Heupel understands that there’s a decent chance that he’ll need both quarterbacks to finish the season.

Brandon is one snap away from being the guy. He has to stay ready. And for MacIntyre, he’s playing with more and more confidence each week. The approach that Heupel is going with right now is clearly working. Why rock the boat?

If Heupel were to name MacIntyre the starter, maybe he starts feeling pressure to play better to keep the job, and maybe Brandon starts struggling to prepare like he’s the starter. The whole thing could fall apart.

And hey, maybe it doesn’t. But no one knows how either young player would react — they’re humans, not robots, after all. So, again, why change what’s working?

It really feels like people just want to complain. I’m not saying Heupel has handled or will handle every situation perfectly — no coach does (not even the all-time greats). Everyone has missteps. But I don’t get the outrage over this decision. The offense is taking steps each week. The players seem happy. We aren’t hearing rumors of discontent. There is no reason to change what’s working.

The biggest part of being a great coach is managing the mental aspect for players. That’s one of the biggest things that holds talented players back. Right now, MacIntyre seems to be in a good place. He hasn’t been perfect — I shared some expanded thoughts last week on the botched fourth-down play against South Carolina and why that doesn’t define MacIntyre — but he’s showing growth and he’s playing with confidence.

There’s zero benefit to naming an official starter. And good on Heupel for not caving to fan pressure to make a big quarterback announcement just because a portion of the fan base thinks he should.