Vols insider explains why George MacIntyre will have bigger impact on recruiting than Nico Iamaleava had for Tennessee
When the Tennessee Vols landed five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the 2023 recruiting class, fans hoped that more five-stars would follow the California native to Knoxville. But that wasn't necessarily the case. Several elite recruits showed interest in the Vols because of Iamaleava, like five-star offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (who landed at Miami), but ultimately, […]
When the Tennessee Vols landed five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the 2023 recruiting class, fans hoped that more five-stars would follow the California native to Knoxville.
But that wasn't necessarily the case. Several elite recruits showed interest in the Vols because of Iamaleava, like five-star offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (who landed at Miami), but ultimately, Nico was the only five-star that signed with Tennessee in 2023.
Earlier this week, the Vols landed a commitment from 2025 five-star quarterback George MacIntyre. And once again, Tennessee fans are hoping that landing a five-star quarterback will have a positive impact on recruiting.
This time around, that should be the case according to VolQuest's Brent Hubbs, a longtime Vols insider.
Hubbs appeared on 104.5 The Zone's "Ramon, Kayla, and Will" on Friday and he explained why MacIntyre will have a bigger impact on recruiting than Nico had for Tennessee.
"He (MacIntyre) knows the in-state guys a great deal," said Hubbs. "There's obviously Cam Sparks, Radarious Jackson, and a couple of other receivers in the state of Tennessee that he's a part of with his seven-on-seven team that he's had a relationship with for a while. He's certainly going to help and be a factor in recruiting those guys."
"And it's pretty clear where he's at with offensive linemen. He has tweeted at, Instagrammed at, reached out to, continued to talk to David Sanders, the big offensive tackle from over in Charlotte, NC," continued Hubbs. "I think David's going to be on Tennessee's campus, could be here in another week or two, but certainly will be here in March at some point. And I think anytime David Sanders comes to campus, George MacIntyre's going to do everything he can to be here with him, to spend time with him. So it's not just about skill guys for George that he's recruiting, it's about offensive linemen. Tennessee's recruiting a good number of high-profile offensive linemen and George is going to be a part of that."
"I think it's something (helping recruit) he's looking forward to, I think it's something he's excited about, he's committed to trying to help put this class together," added Hubbs. "I think he can have a bigger effect than Nico did simply because he's in the footprint, he's two hours and 20 minutes from campus. So anytime Tennessee's bringing some high profile guys in, it's easier for him to get to campus and visit with them and help recruit them than it was for Nico."
Nico was on the other side of the country wrapping up his high school career after he committed to Tennessee, so it wasn't realistic for him to be on campus every time the Vols had high profile recruiting visits happening — especially those last minute visits.
It sounds like MacIntyre is going to try to be on campus anytime the Vols have those high profile recruits on campus, which could prove to have a major impact on recruiting for Tennessee in this incredibly important 2025 recruiting cycle.
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