Did Josh Heupel pick wrong Tennessee QB again? Faizon Brandon vs George MacIntyre

Coach Josh Heupel addressed Tennessee football's quarterback quandary as diplomatically as he could after benching five-star freshman Faizon Brandon for sophomore George MacIntyre.

The switch worked. The 17th-ranked Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) escaped a nervous Neyland Stadium with a 24-14 win over Auburn (3-2, 1-2) on Oct. 3. And MacIntyre was steady enough to realign the offense.

But then came the obvious questions in the postgame press conference. Here’s a summary of Heupel’s responses.

Will MacIntyre start for Tennessee against Arkansas on Oct. 10 (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network) in Fayetteville? It sounds like he might.

“We’ll go watch the tape, but ultimately Faizon didn’t play his best football,” Heupel said.

How will Heupel choose the starting quarterback? He’s not saying, but don’t be surprised if both work into the game plan for the Arkansas game.

“There won’t be just one factor,” Heupel said. “We’ll need them both through this stretch in the conference (schedule),” Heupel said.

Did Brandon struggle because of an injury he suffered against Texas on Sept. 26? It didn't sound like it.

“I don’t know that I would say that,” Heupel said.

UT did not make MacIntyre or Brandon available in the postgame press conference. But Heupel had plenty to say to manage what appears to be a renewed quarterback competition.

Is this like the Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton situation?

It’s probably too early to ask the biggest question, but it’s on the mind of every UT fan.

Did Heupel just stumble into another Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker situation? In 2021, Heupel chose Milton in the preseason. He was the most impressive athletically in practice. But that turned out to be the wrong decision.

Hooker replaced Milton in the second game of that season. He looked more polished in the offense. And he operated Heupel’s system more efficiently. The rest is history, specifically a long list of records that Hooker broke as UT’s starter in 2021-22.

Of course, that birthed the skepticism that Heupel initially picks the wrong quarterback, and then he thrives once the right quarterback rises to the occasion.

It’s way too early to determine if this situation resembles that one. MacIntyre merely sparked an ineffective offense for about a half to beat a middling SEC team at home with the help of a lockdown defense and DeSean Bishop’s 220-yard rushing performance.

And Brandon is quite different from Milton. Brandon is a freshman, barely 18 years old and seeing complex SEC defenses for the first time. Milton was a 21-year-old in his fourth college season when he was benched for Hooker.

Will Faizon Brandon, George MacIntyre both play vs. Arkansas?

For now, Heupel needs to figure out which quarterback gives him the best chance to beat Arkansas. And Alabama after that. And South Carolina after that, and so on.

This can be a week-to-week decision. And it sounds like Heupel actually might consider playing both quarterbacks. Rest assured, they’ll each get first-team reps in practice after this Auburn game appeared to flip the depth chart upside down.

“When we first named the (starting quarterback), we told them both that almost every time it ends up being that multiple guys are going to be needed,” Heupel said. “So you better be ready for your opportunity. And I’m proud of George for being ready and prepared.”

What Josh Heupel said that works in George MacIntyre's favor

Heupel didn’t tip his hand about what metrics he could consider in choosing a starter for the Arkansas game. But one big factor leans in MacIntyre’s direction.

Heupel said the offensive game plan changed very little when he switched quarterbacks. But the Vols recorded only three points and 60 yards of total offense under Brandon, and they had 21 points and 263 yards of total offense with MacIntyre.

“(It was) a lot of the same things that we were doing in the first half,” Heupel said about UT’s second-half surge with MacIntyre. “We were playing in a bunch of (formations with two tight ends). We liked what we had in the run game in that and some of the play action.

“The execution was a little bit better, and George made some good throws.”

Again, this isn’t a Milton-Hooker situation, at least not yet. That’s a conversation for another day and perhaps a few games away.

But Heupel ultimately chooses the quarterback that operates his offense like he wants it. Against Auburn, that undoubtedly was MacIntyre. Time will tell if that answer changes or if Heupel is ready to face that question.

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: Did Josh Heupel pick wrong Tennessee QB again? Faizon Brandon vs George MacIntyre