CFB Rumors: Insider Names Favorite to be Tennessee Volunteers Starting QB in Week 1 After Final Scrimmage

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The Tennessee Volunteers‘ starting quarterback battle has lasted for months, with head coach Josh Heupel holding off on an announcement until close to Week 1. Coming out of the team’s final scrimmage, there appears to be a front-runner to take the field first.

According to On3.com‘s Pete Nakos, true freshman Faizon Brandon has “the edge” to be announced as the Volunteers’ starting quarterback for Week 1 against Furman at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. That comes after a second scrimmage where the former five-star recruit outperformed his competition.

“Sources told On3 that Brandon had the better day of the two quarterbacks. The true freshman the former five-star recruit was not perfect, but his ability to make plays in the running game stood out again. At this points, sources give Brandon the dge.”

On3.com’s Pete Nakos on who is leading the Tennessee Volunteers starting QB competition

At the start of the spring, most expected that redshirt freshman George MacIntyre would start in Tennessee’s regular-season opener. He saw the field sparingly in 2025, appearing briefly in blowout wins over East Tennessee State (72-17) and New Mexico State (42-9). However, the 6-foot-6 quarterback added significant weight and muscle to his frame thanks to Derek Owings, the team’s director of football sports performance. More important, MacIntyre had a full year in Heupel’s system and some rapport with the young wide receivers.

  • George MacIntyre stats (2025): 7-of-9 passes completed (77.8% completion rate), 69 passing yards, 7.7 yards per attempt, 142.2 passer rating

Brandon, a consensus five-star recruit who was rated as the No. 3 overall player by 247Sports, came to Knoxville with better physical tools and a dual-threat ability that MacIntyre couldn’t match. However, the inexperience of the 6-foot-4 quarterback and the time he needed to acclimate to both college football and Heupel’s system made opening the season as a backup seem inevitable.

Instead, Brandon emerged from the spring as a slight favorite to win the job or at least have an equal shot at it before summer practices. He remained in town, continuing to learn the playbook while adding strength and developing other parts of his game. MacIntyre also made improvements throughout the summer, including showing more consistency on the practice field, but the starting job has seemingly been trending toward the true freshman.

“He’s still a true freshman acclimating to pass protections at the college level. It won’t be a surprise to see Tennessee play both quarterbacks in Week 1 against Furman.”

Pete Nakos on Faizon Brandon and the Tennessee Volunteers’ QB plans in the season opener

There’s still plenty of room for Brandon to improve, and he’ll certainly go through his growing pains this fall if Heupel names him the starting quarterback. The difference-maker here truly seems to be the freshman’s ability to make plays with his legs, bringing an RPO element to the Volunteers’ offense that should perfectly complete a scheme centered around running back DeSean Bishop.

Ultimately, fans at Neyland Stadium will likely see both Brandon and MacIntyre on the field in a one-sided matchup against Furman. What gets more interesting is whether the performance of each quarterback results in Heupel making a change before Tennessee’s road matchup against Georgia Tech on Sept. 12.

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