Quarterback George MacIntyre will make his first career start for Tennessee football against Arkansas on Oct. 10, a source confirmed to Knox News, after replacing an ineffective Faizon Brandon.

The source requested anonymity because UT has not made an official announcement.

The 14th-ranked Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) play Arkansas (2-3, 0-2) on Oct. 10 (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network) in Fayetteville in UT’s first SEC road game of the season.

MacIntyre is a sophomore and former Brentwood Academy standout. He lost a preseason quarteback competiton with Brandon, a five-star freshman, who started the first five games of the season.

Brandon was benched in favor of MacIntyre in the second quarter of a 24-14 win over Auburn on Oct. 3.

In his first start against Arkansas, MacIntyre could be serving as a temporary substition while Brandon recovers from an injury and reboots his development. Then again, this could be MacIntyre's new opportunity to win the starting job. Time will tell.

Coach Josh Heupel declined to name a starter at his weekly press conference on Oct. 5. His next scheduled media appearance will be on the SEC coaches teleconference on Oct. 7.

Is Faizon Brandon healthy enough to play?

It's unclear how healthy Brandon is and whether that factored into Heupel's decision to start MacIntyre.

The SEC student-athlete availability report could shed light on that when it's released around 8:10 p.m. ET on Oct. 7.

Heupel has given a range of answers about whether Brandon was healthy in the Auburn game. At his press conference on Oct. 5, Heupel acknowledged that Brandon had been dealing with an injury that limited his practice time.

"I think (Brandon) realized that he wasn't playing at his best because of, you know, what he was dealing with physically," Heupel said.

Brandon took plenty of punishment in a 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas on Sept. 26. He was sacked 10 times, took vicious hits and briefly left the game with an apparent right shoulder injury.

How George MacIntyre has played before his first start

MacIntyre has played in four games this season as Brandon’s backup. That included two relief appearances late in UT wins, a brief stint against Texas when Brandon was injured, and the Auburn game to replace an ineffective Brandon.

MacIntyre has completed 70% (14-20) of his passes for 148 yards and one TD. He doesn’t have a rushing attempt this season, and he hasn’t been sacked.

Against Furman, MacIntyre completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards, one TD and no interceptions. Against Texas, he completed 1 of 3 passes for 6 yards. He didn’t attempt a pass against Kennesaw State.

MacIntyre showed poise in the pocket after replacing Brandon in the Auburn game. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards, no TDs and no interceptions. Extending the pass game also loosened up Auburn’s defense, which helped DeSean Bishop to rush for a career-high 220 yards and three TDs.

Brandon has completed 60.4% (61-101) of his 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.

Brandon played well against Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State while getting his feet wet as a college quarterback. He flashed his running ability and protected the ball. But he didn’t take many chances in the passing game, and he didn’t face much pressure against inferior opponents.

Brandon’s play predictably dropped off in SEC games against Texas and Auburn, and miscues on the offensive line didn’t help.

Against Auburn, Brandon showed effects of that Texas game. He was indecisive in the passing game and sometimes bailed out of the pocket prematurely. He was benched in the second quarter with zero passing yards on three completions and minus-9 yards rushing.

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: Quarterback George MacIntyre to start for Tennessee football vs Arkansas

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