'Next question': Josh Heupel cuts off Tennessee quarterback talk before Arkansas game

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel didn’t reveal whether he’ll start Faizon Brandon or George MacIntyre at quarterback against Arkansas, and then he cut off further quarterback questions during his weekly press conference on Oct. 5.

“We’ll find out as the week goes here," Heupel said. "George came in, did some really good things. Faizon obviously wasn't at his best dealing with, you know, getting injured in the Texas game. It was affecting his game. We’ll go through the week here. You'll find out Saturday.”

After five quarterback-related questions, Heupel was asked a sixth. That's when he told reporters that he would not answer further questions about the quarterbacks.

"OK, next question. I'm done with the quarterbacks, politely. I'm sorry," Heupel said.

He apologized to the reporter who asked the sixth question after the press conference.

Brandon, the five-star freshman, started the first five games of the season. But he was benched in the second quarter of a 24-14 win over Auburn on Oct. 3, and MacIntyre sparked the Vols the rest of the way.

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.

Heupel must decide which quarterback gives him the best chance to win this next game. But any decision at that position potentially carries ramifications the rest of the season and perhaps beyond.

Brandon was a recruiting gem for the Vols, ranked the No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 class by 247Sports Composite. MacIntyre, a sophomore, was a coveted four-star recruit in the 2025 class out of Brentwood Academy.

In the transfer portal era, teams rarely keep two young talented quarterbacks for multiple seasons. And Heupel acknowledged that reality before the season.

Is Faizon Brandon healthy enough to play at a high level?

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. "So you know those guys (MacIntyre and Brandon) have been great together in the room. I'm not saying the best of friends, hanging out outside of the building. But they've been really good inside the room and on the practice field and conquering that together."

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.

Did injuries impact his play against Auburn? Heupel told the ESPN broadcast at halftime that Brandon "wasn't feeling 100%." But in the postgame press conference, Heupel downplayed the impact of any discomfort Brandon felt.

"I don't know that I would say that," Heupel said postgame when asked if Brandon's health affected his performance. "We'll watch a little bit of the tape and see more of it. But we'll go from there."

Heupel indicated that MacIntyre got an increased number of first-team reps heading into the Auburn game. But UT never listed Brandon on the SEC availability report, which designates players as probable (75%), questionable (50%), doubtful (25%) or out (0%).

How Faizon Brandon played as starter, got benched

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.

How George MacIntyre sparked Tennessee in relief in win

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.

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: 'Next question': Josh Heupel cuts off Tennessee quarterback talk before Arkansas game