Has Josh Heupel changed plans for Tennessee QBs George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon?

TAMPA, FL – Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel doesn’t want to rotate between quarterbacks George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon during the 2026 season.

He wants to pick one and stick with him, but he knows that easier said than done. After all, in 2021, Heupel started Joe Milton and then switched to Hendon Hooker in the second game of the season. Hooker turned into a record-breaking quarterback and never relinquished the job.

Perhaps that's why Heupel appeared to be willing and give both quarterbacks an opportunity if the starter he names struggles.

At SEC media days, Heupel was asked whether he prefers playing one quarterback rather than two. He indicated that MacIntyre and Brandon will determine what's best.

"Well, we’ve had it play out a lot of different ways," Heupel said on July 20. "The most important thing is that through competition somebody goes out and earns the job, whenever that is during the course of training camp.

"You name that guy. You give him those reps. But then he’s got to prove it on the field, as well."

What Josh Heupel said about playing multiple quarterbacks

Practice starts Aug. 5. The season opener is Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., SEC Network+/ESPN+) against Furman. That gives Heupel a month to decide between MacIntyre, a redshirt freshman, and Brandon, a five-star freshman.

"We’ve been through this process," Heupel said. "It’s important that guys have an opportunity to grow through spring ball and the course of the summer (and) showcase where they’re at as you start training camp and earn it in front of their peers."

Heupel wants the competition to play out in preseason practice. But he knows his decision might not be final. After the opener against Furman, the Vols play at Georgia Tech (Sept. 12) and against Kennesaw State (Sept. 19). Then Heisman Trophy hopeful Arch Manning and Texas come to Neyland Stadium for the SEC opener on Sept. 26.

Heupel said he knows there's a possibility that multiple quarterbacks could play, even if that's not his preference.

"When a guy has earned it, you put him in that position where he starts getting consistent reps with the ones. But the strength of any one position can’t be just one guy," Heupel said. "History will tell you that there are times when you’ll need multiple guys."

Why Tennessee has changed quarterbacks so frequently

For a second straight year, Heupel navigated questions about an ongoing quarterback competition at SEC media days.

In 2025, Heupel was recovering from Nico Iamaleava’s abrupt spring transfer to UCLA after an NIL dispute. He eventually picked Joey Aguilar over Jake Merklinger, and that worked out well enough. Aguilar led the SEC in passing yards per game (274.2), but the Vols slumped to an 8-5 record.

And it’s the fourth straight year that Heupel will turn to a new starting quarterback. He had Milton in 2023, Iamaleava in 2024, Aguilar in 2025 and now a big decision between MacIntyre and Brandon in 2026.

Heupel added further context, referring to his head coaching tenure at UCF: "This is our fifth different starting quarterback in five years. Looking back even deeper than that, I think it’s our seventh quarterback in nine years."

Josh Heupel has thrived with freshman quarterbacks before

The difference this time around is that neither MacIntyre nor Brandon have started a college game. MacIntyre played only 18 snaps in 2025. Brandon has not played at all.

Granted, Heupel has had success with freshman quarterbacks before, including three notable examples.

In 2007, Sam Bradford was a redshirt freshman when he led Oklahoma to a Big 12 title and led the nation in passer rating with Heupel as his quarterbacks coach. Bradford won the Heisman Trophy in 2008.

In 2019, Dillon Gabriel had a record-breaking season as a freshman starter with Heupel as UCF coach. Gabriel finished third in the Heisman race at Oregon in 2024.

In 2024, Iamaleava started as a Tennessee redshirt freshman. He helped the Vols make the College Football Playoff, and then he transferred to UCLA.

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: Has Josh Heupel changed plans for Tennessee QBs George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon?