On3 predicts Tennessee’s quarterback battle winner

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Tennessee’s 2026 quarterback competition is set to resume (on the field, at least) in just a matter of weeks. The Volunteers will be opening up fall camp at the end of the month, where all eyes will be on George MacIntrye and Faizon Brandon.

Back in the spring, it was Brandon stealing the headlines and becoming a true contender for the job. This all coming after Josh Heupel was unable to land a big arm in the transfer portal, and an attempt to get Joey Aguilar another season of eligibility failed.

That left the redshirt freshman and true freshman to battle it out with the winner getting the keys to an extremely potent offense. Very quickly in the spring, it was apparently Brandon was going to be a major player in the race. Coming out of the spring and through the summer, that hasn’t changed.

Pete Nakos of On3 predicts that Brandon will be named the starting quarterback when things are said and done — a prediction now that’s much less bold than it was 5-6 months ago.

“It appeared George MacIntyre was the clear quarterback to beat to earn the starting job,” Nakos wrote. “But true freshman Faizon Brandon came on strong, pushing MacIntyre and looking better at times.

“Sources through the spring and now into the summer continue to tell On3 that Brandon has positioned himself to truly compete for the job and potentially start Week 1. MacIntyre had an up-and-down spring and clearly did not outright win the job. The amount of talent and potential Brandon has will be hard to tamp down.”

Brandon has been favored to win the job since the early days of the summer. The 6-4 quarterback is up to 225 pounds in preparation for his first season in Heupel’s offense. The former 5-star quarterback finished up the cycle as the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2026, according to 247Sports. MacIntyre, a former highly-ranked prospect himself, has been in Heupel’s offense going on 18 months.

Both players will get their final shots over the first couple of weeks in camp. The staff may know who they want at this point, perhaps they don’t. Heupel and company have about six weeks to figure it out before week one.

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