‘I think that’s probably how Josh Heupel is playing this’ – Tennessee’s QB plan for the rest of the season is coming into focus and it makes perfect sense
Tennessee sophomore quarterback George MacIntyre is expected to start for the Volunteers against Kentucky this weekend, but what about the rest of the season?
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel isn’t saying it publicly, but sophomore quarterback George MacIntyre is the Vols’ unquestioned starter right now (I shared some thoughts this week on why I think Heupel isn’t publicly naming MacIntyre the starter).
As long as the Vols are winning games — the South Carolina debacle notwithstanding — MacIntyre will be the guy for Tennessee.
But what happens if the Vols lose a game?
At that point, Tennessee would likely be out of the College Football Playoff, and the attention would immediately turn to the Vols’ quarterback situation for the 2027 season.
The Knoxville News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks thinks Vols head coach Josh Heupel could turn to true freshman Faizon Brandon in that scenario — mostly to evaluate the young quarterback ahead of the transfer cycle.
“My read on the quarterback situation is they’re going to stick with George as long as they’re in the playoff hunt,” said Sparks on The Tony Basilio Show. “And once they’re not, then Faizon Brandon definitely becomes an option to finish out the year. I think that’s probably how Josh Heupel is playing this. You don’t want to just experiment with going back to Faizon Brandon if you’re still in the playoff hunt and you’re still winning. And if they do win this game (against Kentucky), then that magic number shrinks. If they lose this game, they’re going to a bowl game, they’re not going to the playoffs. I mean, mathematically, they’d still be in it, but I think that’s the way [Heupel] is thinking of this week to week.
“As long as they’re winning, and as long as on Tuesday nights they say they’re still in the mix, then George MacIntyre is the quarterback. If they lose a game, the playoff is almost certainly out of reach and then you can go back to Faizon Brandon and try to figure out what that means for next year.”
If the Vols win out with MacIntyre at quarterback, then we’ll see what that means for Brandon and the transfer portal. But for now, the complete focus is on winning games. And that’ll be the focus as long as the Vols are still in the playoff hunt. Only after the playoff is out of reach will Tennessee start experimenting with quarterbacks to see what the best option is for 2027.
