Tennessee Volunteers Have To Stick With Faizon Brandon At QB Despite Benching

Tennessee Volunteers Have To Stick With Faizon Brandon At QB Despite Benching

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Tennessee Volunteers Have To Stick With Faizon Brandon At QB Despite Benching

The Tennessee Volunteers had a quarterback battle between Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre during camp, which Brandon, a true freshman, won.

Brandon had success early on, but the true freshman struggled against the Auburn Tigers on Saturday. Brandon went 3-of-8 for 0 passing yards and an interception. It was a bad game, as he was rushing his reads and making poor decisions. Brandon was lucky he didn’t have more interceptions.

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With Brandon struggling, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel made a wise decision by benching him for MacIntyre. MacIntyre did what he needed to do to help the Volunteers get the win as he went 8-of-10 for 86 yards.

The Volunteers are a run-first offense, anyway, so Tennessee doesn’t need their quarterback to win the games. Instead, they simply need them not to lose games, which Brandon was doing against Auburn.

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Although MacIntyre did lead Tennessee to a comeback win, Heupel needs to turn back to Brandon against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.

Brandon still gives the Volunteers the best chance to win, and the benching likely will benefit him. He had a chance to sit back and watch the offense from a different point of view and perhaps see some openings he hadn’t seen before.

Brandon is also a dual-threat, as his legs pose some problems for opposing defenses. His ability to scramble out of the pocket and extend plays with his legs is also a benefit to the Volunteers’ offense.

Ultimately, Arkansas’ defense has been an issue this season, so this is a great chance for Brandon to rebuild his confidence. And, if he struggles again, Heupel can turn to MacIntyre again, but for now, he needs to go back to his true freshman quarterback, as Brandon does give Tennessee their best chance to win.

Tennessee Noncommittal on Starting QB

Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre (12) hands the ball to Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop (18) during a college football game between Tennessee and Auburn at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 3, 2026.

Although MacIntyre led the Vols to a comeback win over Auburn, the run game was a big reason why.

However, MacIntyre is a much safer option, and the Volunteers aren’t ready to decide wh starts against Arkansas on Saturday.

We’ll go watch the tape,” Heupel said after the game. “Faizon ultimately didn’t play his best football. The turnover on the sideline and some of the things, just progressions. I’ve said it a bunch to you guys. We’re gonna need them both throughout the year.”

The big thing for Tennessee is its defense and running game, so they don’t need an elite quarterback. Heupel, meanwhile, believes MacIntyre’s ability to throw the ball also opened up some things against Auburn.

“George’s ability to throw the football in the second half allowed us to create a big play, in particular the one to Mike early,'” Heupel said. “In general, it allowed us to take advantage of some stuff they were giving us.”

Ultimately, Tennessee should turn back to Brandon, but he should have a short leash as the Vols need a definitive starting quarterback going into their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on the third Saturday of October.

Related: Arch Manning, Texas Still Have Plenty Of Questions Despite Win Over Tennessee

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This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Oct 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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