One big advantage George MacIntyre will have as a true freshman at Tennessee in 2025
When Tennessee Vols five-star quarterback commit George MacIntyre suits up for UT in 2025 as a true freshman, he'll likely be the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart. Nico Iamaleava, who is set to take over as Tennessee's starting quarterback in 2024, will be a redshirt sophomore in 2025. And 2024 signee Jake Merklinger, […]
When Tennessee Vols five-star quarterback commit George MacIntyre suits up for UT in 2025 as a true freshman, he'll likely be the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart.
Nico Iamaleava, who is set to take over as Tennessee's starting quarterback in 2024, will be a redshirt sophomore in 2025. And 2024 signee Jake Merklinger, a four-star quarterback, will be entering his second season on Rocky Top.
MacIntyre will be entering a situation as a true freshman similar to the one that Arch Manning was in at Texas in 2023 as a true freshman (Manning was the No. 3 quarterback behind Quinn Ewers and Maalik Murphy).
But while MacIntyre will likely start the season in that No. 3 role, you never know when his number might be called. He'll be two snaps away from being "the guy" at any given time.
And if a situation arises where MacIntyre is forced into action as a true freshman, he'll be better equipped than most to handle that role.
That's in large part because MacIntyre already has some experience in Josh Heupel's system.
MacIntyre, who will be learning a new offensive system as a senior at Brentwood Academy this fall thanks to a coaching change, played in a system similar to Heupel's as a sophomore.
MacIntyre appeared on 104.5 The Zone's Ramon, Kayla, and Will earlier this week and host Will Boling asked the recent Vols commit about his experience playing in a Heupel-esque system as a sophomore.
"I think it's a great system," said MacIntyre. "I'll actually be in my fourth system this year as a senior. I really did like that [system]. It's kinda wide splits, it's very different. Every throw is probably seven to eight yards farther because the receivers are so much farther out there. But it really does stretch out the defense. You can get a lot of vertical shots out of it, which is what I like to do."
One of the only drawbacks to Heupel's system is that it can take a little while for young players to grasp all of the concepts, because it's so different. But MacIntyre's previous experience in a similar system should help ease his learning curve once he gets to Tennessee. There will still be an adjustment to the college game, but MacIntyre should be ready to contribute sooner than most young players who sign with the Vols under Heupel.
