COMMENTARY: “I Truly Believe it’s Bulls—” Heupel criticizes NCAA’s suspension of Arion Carter
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – As East Tennessee’s humid summer comes to a close, the long wait for Volunteer fans across the country is nearly over.
One month from tomorrow, the Tennessee Volunteers will kick off their 133rd season against the Furman Paladins.
The excitement, however, is perhaps overshadowed by the enormous question mark surrounding the offense, as head coach Josh Heupel is yet to name a starting quarterback.
After quarterback Joey Aguilar (who last season led the SEC in passing yards per game) was denied eligibility for the 2026-27 season, the nation’s sixth-highest scoring offense was left without its strongest asset.
Though the Volunteers have two realistic options at quarterback in five-star freshman Faizon Brandon and redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, Heupel’s decision should be a no-brainer.
Despite Brandon’s undeniable potential, his age and lack of collegiate experience is incredibly concerning.
As a result of NIL compensation dominating the sport, athletes are electing to continue their collegiate careers, rather than declare for the NFL draft.
While this might seem unrelated, it actually puts players like Brandon at a tremendous disadvantage.
Brandon, who turned 18 on June 1, would stand virtually no chance against SEC opponents, who frequently boast the nation’s top defenses.
A season ago, a vast majority of the nation’s top quarterbacks were at least 22 years old, with multiple seasons of college experience.
Only two true freshmen have ever led their team to a national championship, and just one teenager has won the Heisman award in the last 13 years.
Therefore, expecting Brandon to make an immediate impact is simply unrealistic, and throwing him into the fire against SEC defenses would utterly shatter his confidence.
MacIntyre, however, is the perfect solution.
Having now spent the past year familiarizing himself with Heupel’s offense, and learning from one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Aguilar, the middle Tennessee native is poised to carry over the offensive success from a season ago.
Tennessee’s staff, however, did not give any indication of who will be under center next month.
“[We are evaluating] who gives us the best chance to win on a Saturday,” offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said. “There are certain things they have to be able to do.”
On the contrary, far less uncertainty surrounds the Volunteer defense.
After replacing former defensive coordinator Tim Banks with Jim Knowles, who served in the same position for 2024 national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, the Volunteers were able to acquire a plethora of defensive talent in the transfer portal.
Xavier Gilliam, who followed Knowles from Penn State, ranked as the sixth best defensive lineman in the transfer portal, while safety TJ Metcalf allowed just one touchdown across nearly 400 snaps in pass coverage.
Unfortunately for the Volunteers, they will begin the season without their top linebacker, as Arion Carter was suspended by the NCAA for two games.
After Carter’s agent paid for the 21-year-old’s flight to the NFL draft combine, Carter ultimately decided to return to college, triggering the NCAA to take action.
Heupel, though, found the ruling to be entirely unfair.
“He has earned the right to be the leader of this program,” Heupel said. “I truly believe [the NCAA’s ruling] is bulls—.”
Luckily for Tennessee, Carter’s suspension will be fully served before the start of SEC play, which begins Sept. 26 against the Texas Longhorns.
Though question marks and an unnecessary suspension may have been the top headlines of Tennessee’s offseason, the team has all the tools to remain competitive in an SEC that looks stronger than ever before.
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