Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols have a quarterback conundrum on their hands.

True freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon started the first five games of the season for the Vols. Brandon looked good in wins against Furman, Georgia Tech, and Kennesaw State. But he hit a bit of a freshman wall in Week 4 against Texas.

The North Carolina native held on to the ball too long, took too many sacks, and, in general, looked overwhelmed. That trend continued in the first half against Auburn this past weekend, and Heupel benched Brandon after he threw his first career interception.

Sophomore George MacIntyre, who barely played as a true freshman last season, replaced Brandon late in the second quarter.

McIntyre completed 8-of-10 passes for 86 yards and led the Vols on three scoring drives (all three of those drives ended with DeSean Bishop rushing touchdowns).

Tennessee didn’t ask MacIntyre to do much, but he operated the offense efficiently and made a couple of big throws.

The general feeling among Vols fans is that MacIntyre should start against Arkansas this upcoming Saturday. And I agree. He earned it with the way he played against Auburn.

But I don’t think this quarterback situation is suddenly solved. And I don’t think MacIntyre is now the for-sure answer for the rest of the season.

I mean, sure, MacIntyre could be the guy. But let’s see how he plays against Arkansas – if he does indeed start the game – after a full week of preparing as the starter before we crown anyone in this ongoing competition (it can be a lot different when you enter a game unexpectedly as opposed to when everyone expects you to be the guy). 

Tennessee can’t throw in the towel on Faizon Brandon

Regardless of how MacIntyre plays against Arkansas, I think it would be incredibly foolish to throw in the towel on Brandon already.

Look, it’s no surprise that he had some struggles in his first couple of SEC games. He just turned 18 in June. These are the best defenses he’s ever seen in his life.

There was always going to be an adjustment period.

And unlike MacIntyre, this is the first time Brandon has even been in uniform for these types of games. MacIntyre didn’t play much in 2025, but he was at least around the team preparing for these matchups. He knew what to expect on SEC game days – he’s been in these environments before.

Brandon, on the other hand, is experiencing all of this for the first time while also having to lead the offense.

Yes, he has to be better. But he’s got a long way to go in his development, and he still has an extremely high ceiling.

Let’s not forget that Brandon won the job in fall camp after he outplayed MacIntyre. And Brandon did that while going against a Tennessee defense that, it turns out, is really dang good.

Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense has quickly proven that it’s elite. And it gave Brandon and MacIntyre some serious looks in camp. 

“Coach Knowles’ defense, I told our quarterbacks, you’re going into grad school right from day one in practice,” said Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle before the season. “There’s nothing basic about what he does. He’s an elite schemer. He does a great job of taking away what he thinks you’re gonna do. He really quickly can diagnose where he thinks the ball is going and put his defense in position to take it away.

“So everything that guy does is extremely challenging for a quarterback in general. You put youth on top of it, it makes it even harder. I told our guys, as frustrating as it could be going through spring from time to time, and you’re like, ‘Man, can I just get a base look out here?’ This is going to serve us really well going through the season, because you’re in grad school right from the beginning.”

Brandon still has first-round NFL draft talent. He has the talent to be a true Heisman Trophy contender.

Just because he didn’t play well in his first two SEC starts (and it looked like a mental thing more than anything) doesn’t mean he’s a bust. It doesn’t mean fans should give up on him. And it doesn’t mean he can’t still be the Vols’ best option this season.

For now, Tennessee just has to take this thing week by week, see where it goes, and give both players a chance.

I’ve said it multiple times over the last few months: The most important thing Heupel can do this season is figure out who the best option is to be Tennessee’s starting quarterback in 2027.

And I think it’s clear that Heupel is still a long way from figuring that out.