The Tennessee Vols will be starting either redshirt freshman George MacIntyre or true freshman Faizon Brandon at quarterback in 2026.

I think it’ll be Brandon who ends up starting — for multiple reasons, which I discussed in late July — but either way, it’ll be a freshman under center for the Volunteers this fall.

Both of Tennessee’s freshman quarterbacks are talented options. Brandon, specifically, has first-round NFL draft upside.

But even if Brandon (or MacIntyre) reaches his potential and becomes a star on Rocky Top, he’s inevitably going to hit some bumps in the road as he goes through the development process.

Some comments that an SEC assistant coach made this week to The Athletic while discussing Vanderbilt true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis are a reminder of how tough it can be to play quarterback in the SEC as a true freshman.

“Good luck with a freshman in this league,” said the SEC assistant coach. “We liked Jared. We recruited him for a little while. We couldn’t afford him, but yeah, we liked him. I think he’s really good. We’ll see what his mental makeup is. I think he’s going to get beat up early, and if he can weather (it), then I think he’ll be fine. … These D-lines in this league can chew you up and spit you out. If he can survive it, he’ll be better for it on the other side.”

I know the coach is talking about Curtis there, but the comments about playing quarterback as a freshman in the SEC are relevant to Tennessee’s situation. It’s going to be a big adjustment for whichever Vols quarterback wins the job (MacIntyre hasn’t taken a snap against an SEC team as he only played in garbage time last season against New Mexico State and ETSU).

There are going to be tough learning moments, and it could mean that Tennessee loses a couple of close games because of those learning moments. I’m not saying fans should be okay with losses, but I think fans have to accept that they may be necessary for this program to get to where it wants to go in 2027.

It’s rare that a true freshman quarterback leads a team to a championship. Trevor Lawrence did it in 2018 at Clemson, and Jalen Hurts nearly did it in 2016 at Alabama. But those were much different situations. Clemson, for example, played a light ACC schedule in Lawrence’s freshman season (unlike the nine-game SEC schedule the Vols will play in 2026), and Hurts was on a loaded Bama team in an era where the top teams could hoard depth.

Thanks to the transfer portal era — which has created a level of parity we’ve never seen before in the sport — it’s much tougher for true freshman quarterbacks to have success. Any team can beat any team in the SEC in any given week.

I think Josh Heupel made the right call to not sign a high-priced transfer quarterback this offseason. But I think fans need to accept that this is a two or three-year plan. 2026 could be a fun season for Tennessee, but it may get bumpy at times.