George MacIntyre gets nod vs Arkansas, Tennessee's 6th starting QB for Josh Heupel

FAYETTEVILLE, AR — George MacIntyre will be Tennessee's sixth starting quarterback of Josh Heupel's six-year coaching era, getting the nod against Arkansas on Oct. 10.

MacIntyre took the first-team reps in pregame warm-ups, just as the Vol Network announced him as the starter.

Freshman Faizon Brandon, who started the first five games, was listed as a game-time decision on the SEC availability report. He threw a few passes in warm-ups but did not take snaps from center in 7-on-7 or team periods.

MacIntyre follows Joe Milton (16 starts, 2021-23), Hendon Hooker (22 starts, 2021-22), Nico Iamaleava (14 starts, 2023-24), Joey Aguilar (13 starts, 2025) and Brandon (five starts, 2026) as Heupel's other starting quarterbacks.

The 14th-ranked Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) play Arkansas (2-3, 0-2) at 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

MacIntyre starting is not a surprise. Knox News and other media outlets, citing sources, reported on Oct. 6 that he would start against Arkansas. But Heupel declined to name his starter at his weekly press conference on Oct. 5 and on the SEC teleconference appearance on Oct. 7.

MacIntyre is a sophomore and former Brentwood Academy standout. He replaces Brandon, a five-star freshman who was listed as questionable on the SEC student-athlete availability report during the week.

Brandon suffered an apparent right shoulder injury in a 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas on Sept. 26. And he was benched in the second quarter of the Auburn game on Oct. 3, passing for zero yards on three completions. MacIntyre sparked the Vols off the bench for a 24-14 win over Auburn.

MacIntyre has completed 14 of 20 passes for 148 yards and one TD this season in relief of Brandon. He doesn’t have a rushing attempt this season, and he hasn’t been sacked.

Brandon has completed 61 of 101 passes for 697 yards, seven TDs and one interception. He has rushed for 130 yards and three TDs. And he’s been sacked 16 times.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: George MacIntyre gets nod vs Arkansas, Tennessee's 6th starting QB for Josh Heupel