The biggest question surrounding the Tennessee Vols this offseason has centered on the quarterback position.

For the last several weeks, there’s been plenty of speculation about Tennessee’s quarterback plan. Would the Vols target a top transfer quarterback? Or would Tennessee sign a depth option to serve as competition for rising redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and incoming true freshman Faizon Brandon?

The Vols took a swing at Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, but LSU landed the coveted quarterback following a bizarre pursuit by Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin.

After missing on Leavitt, the Vols briefly entertained the idea of signing Missouri transfer quarterback Beau Pribula. Tennessee brought Pribula in for a visit, but the Vols ultimately passed on the Mizzou transfer.

On Sunday, Tennessee finally added a transfer quarterback to the roster by landing Colorado transfer quarterback Ryan Staub.

Staub, a rising redshirt junior who has two career starts under his belt, will compete with MacIntyre and Brandon for the starting job, but he’s expected to mostly serve as a depth option for the Volunteers.

Josh Heupel is sending a clear message to Tennessee fans that not everyone is hearing

While some Vols fans have been content to sit back and watch how Tennessee’s quarterback situation played out this offseason, others were loud in their insistence that Heupel and his staff pursue every top quarterback option in the portal.

And that loud group of fans is less than thrilled that Tennessee is adding a depth option in Staub instead of a top transfer quarterback.

It’s those fans that seem to be missing the message that Heupel is sending.

If you’ve followed Tennessee’s quarterback pursuit over the last couple of weeks, it’s clear there were only a couple of quarterbacks that Heupel liked more than the options he has in MacIntyre and Brandon.

Leavitt is the only quarterback that Tennessee made a serious run at (they had interest in Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby, but Texas Tech was always the favorite there). And even then, the Vols were only willing to go so high with an NIL offer.

Tennessee could’ve had Pribula after missing on Leavitt, but they passed.

So what’s the message from Heupel?

It’s obvious that Heupel believes in MacIntyre and Brandon. The way he has approached this quarterback search signals that there is a high bar any transfer quarterback would have to clear to be considered a legitimate starting option over either MacIntyre or Brandon.

In other words, Heupel’s actions suggests that he believes he already has a high level quarterback on Tennessee’s roster.

The one concern, though, is MacIntyre’s weight. Tennessee loves the mental side of what MacIntyre provides, and he certainly has the arm to make all the throws, but can he hold up against SEC defenders at 6-foot-6/195 pounds?

“I think they like his mental side of it,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs on  104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will Friday when asked what Tennessee likes about MacIntyre. “I think they like his recall, his understanding, his quick decision making, his solid decision making. It’s certainly not perfect, but I think they like those things. He has to continue to get bigger and stronger. We know that’s become the narrative about George MacIntyre over the last two plus months.

“He’s not put on kind of the size that you would have hoped and wanted in terms of just growing. That doesn’t mean he can’t play. It just means it was a missed opportunity over the course of the last six or seven months to physically be at a better spot than he is right now. Size-wise, again, you can play a 200-pound quarterback, you can play a 195-pound quarterback. But you better keep that guy upright. And you better hope he can take a hit. You better hope he knows how to avoid a hit, because there’s durability concerns. It’s not that he can’t physically play the position. It’s a durability part with his size, and that’s why everybody would like to see him put on more weight.”

It’s fair to have concerns about MacIntyre’s size — the good news is that he still has seven months to put on some weight — but otherwise, fans may be wise to trust Heupel on this one.

Heupel knows that Tennessee needs a high level quarterback in 2026. And unless Joey Aguilar surprisingly gains another season of eligibility (which isn’t viewed as likely), it’s most likely going to be the George MacIntyre show for the Vols in 2026.

If Heupel, the guy that’s feeling the pressure after going 8-5 in 2025, is comfortable with the idea of MacIntyre under center, then it should be a message to Vols fans that he has what it takes to be QB1 on Rocky Top.

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