What is Tennessee QB plan with George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon, Ryan Staub?

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Tennessee football has five new coaches, 18 new players, a new quarterback plan and plenty of new reasons to both praise and complain about the Vols' work in the transfer portal.

So let’s get into the news, compliments and gripes. On this podcast episode of "The Volunteer State," beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams give their takes on what happened when UT failed to land a premier quarterback and how the new pieces on defense will fit.

To hear the full discussion, listen to the 48-minute podcast. Here are a few highlights.

Tennessee swung and missed. Is George MacIntyre now the QB1 favorite?

Tennessee tried to land an established quarterback. There's no doubt about that. But it missed on its top targets and was luke warm on second-tier options. Sparks went through the list, including a surprising name that could've been on the market.

Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby went to Texas Tech. Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, went to LSU. Missouri's Beau Pribula went to Virginia. Alabama's Ty Simpson declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Montana State's Justin Lamson, the MVP of the FCS national title game, never entered the portal despite interest from various FBS programs late in the process.

Instead, Tennessee settled on Colorado reserve Ryan Staub, who joins young quarterbacks George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon.

Sparks and Adams agreed that MacIntyre, who will be a redshirt freshman in the 2026 season, will be the slight frontrunner when spring practice begins in March.

"That's a real guessing game. I would think George MacIntyre would be the logical successor to Joey Aguilar. Faizon Brandon is one of the top recruits in the country, athletic and a big-arm guy. He's got a shot," Adams said. "I can't imagine that a third-string quarterback on a 3-9 Colorado team could become Tennessee's (starting) quarterback. I think of (Staub) as depth.

"I don't think of (Staub) as the successor to Joey Aguilar. I think of him more as the successor to (former backup) Gaston Moore."

Sparks laid out the plausible scenarios where MacIntyre, Brandon or Staub would start during the 2026 season.

Is Tennessee defense better after portal pickups or just different?

Josh Heupel overhauled his defensive coaching staff after a disappointing 2025 season.

He hired former Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, former Penn State co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter (co-defensive coordinator/secondary), former Penn State assistant Andrew Jackson (edge rushers) and former Ohio State assistant Michael Hunter Jr. (cornerbacks). Defensive line coach Rodney Garner got a two-year contract extension, and linebackers coach William Inge was also retained.

Those staff changes impacted UT's portal pickups on defense, including four former Penn State players with experience in Knowles' defense.

Sparks believes UT added as many as seven starters on defense from the portal: Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam (Penn State), edge rusher Chaz Coleman (Penn State), linebacker Amare Campbell (Penn State), nickelback Qua Moss (Kansas State), cornerback Kayin Lee (Auburn), safety TJ Metcalf (Michigan), DeJuan Lane (Penn State).

Granted, spring practice could alter that number, especially since UT returns starters at those positions.

"But we're still counting on potential somewhat more than production (in analyzing these transfers)," Adams said. "With the Penn state guys, it's not as if (UT is) bringing in All-Big Ten guys. It's more like they have upside. But the fact that Jim Knowles knows these guys and believes in them matters. It's based more on potential, but Knowles has insight into these guys. So it's a really good sign."

New strength coach and other Tennessee football topics

The discussion went much deeper. Sparks and Adams also hit on these topics:

  • The impact of hiring new strength coach Derek Owings from national champion Indiana
  • The mistake of letting safety Jakobe Thomas transfer to Miami
  • Does it matter that George MacIntyre is underweight?
  • Is Josh Heupel building this team the right way?

To hear the full discussion, listen and subscribe to "The Volunteer State" podcast.

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: Tennessee football quarterback plan with George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon

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