Why Josh Heupel is unsettled at quarterback as Tennessee football clings to CFP hope

The Tennessee football quarterback competition between George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon that started in January, when the transfer portal closed, could extend through the end of 2026.

That appears increasingly clear as the season approaches the final month and coach Josh Heupel seems at least publicly noncommittal as the previous month.

“They’re both practicing and practiced well today,” Heupel said on Oct. 28 when asked if MacIntyre and Brandon are competing during the open week to start the next game.

No. 17 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC) plays No. 8 Kentucky (7-1, 5-1) on Nov. 7 (6:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Neyland Stadium.

Meanwhile, schools are monitoring quarterbacks like Brandon and MacIntyre to determine if the loser of this year-long competition will enter the transfer portal in January. It’s a week-to-week scouting process for every team in college football.

In fairness, there’s no reason for Heupel to name a starting quarterback for the Kentucky game during the open week. But he’s declined to do so in four consecutive weeks, dating back to when MacIntyre replaced an ineffective and injured Brandon during the Auburn game on Oct. 3.

Plus, there might not be an easy answer.

Brandon is a talented five-star freshman, but he’s going through growing pains in the offense and returning from an injury to his throwing shoulder. UT won three straight SEC games with MacIntyre at quarterback. He has steadily improved as a passer, but he made critical mistakes late in the 27-24 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 24.

“Every exposure you have, you learn from (and) gain confidence from,” Heupel said. “There’s some things (MacIntyre) did at a really high level last Saturday. There’s some things that he’s got to be a lot better in and would like to have back too.”

Whether MacIntyre should retain the starting job or Brandon should get another shot at it is in the eye of the beholder. But Heupel’s opinion is all that matters, and he isn’t tipping his hand.

Does George MacIntyre get credit for TD passes that didn’t count?

Heupel can’t worry about what his quarterback decision in the present signals about the future.

Tennessee still has a narrow path to the College Football Playoff and a top-10 team coming to Knoxville, so Heupel needs to identify the quarterback that gives the Vols the best chance to beat Kentucky.

MacIntyre has improved as a passer. He completed 67% of his passes for 530 yards, one TD and three interceptions in wins over Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama.

In the loss to South Carolina, MacIntyre completed 16 of 23 passes (70%) for 136 yards. But he also tossed three TD passes for 101 yards that didn’t count because of penalties that likely didn’t impact the play. His performance was also tarnished by a misread on a failed fourth-and-1 play and a fumble that set up South Carolina’s game-winning field goal.

Heupel said that MacIntyre gets credit from coaches for the good plays he made on the TD passes despite the penalties.

“If you’re simply looking at results of plays, that can be extremely misleading,” he said.

Is it time for Faizon Brandon to get another chance?

But Heupel followed up his statement with a counterpoint. He said quarterbacks can also get poor grades on plays that worked out because they made a mistake that fans don’t realize.

“(Positive) stats that show up on a sheet that are (from plays where the quarterback made) hazardous reads or throws, whatever it might be (must he considered) too,” Heupel said. “So you’re looking at the full body of work.”

That critique could be applied to Brandon or MacIntyre because they're young developmental quarterbacks.

Brandon had solid stats in his first five starts to begin the season. He completed 60% of his passes for 697 yards, seven TDs and only one interception. He also rushed for 130 yards and three TDs. But he was slow in processing the offense and didn’t see open receivers.

With the combination of Brandon and MacIntyre, UT ranks last in the SEC in passing offense (181.5 ypg) and 116th nationally, the worst of Heupel’s tenure by a wide margin.

The Vols can stick with MacIntyre and hope he’s still an upward trajectory or turn back to Brandon, who is medically cleared to return. Both quarterbacks could play against Kentucky, but that’s not something Heupel typically does.

Will Josh Heupel make 2026 QB decision with 2027 in mind?

The initial College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Nov. 3 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). Kentucky is expected to be in the projected bracket as the SEC frontrunner. Tennessee will be on the outside but within striking distance if it can beat Kentucky and keep winning.

That puts high stakes on Heupel’s quarterback decision.

Tennessee finishes the regular season with games at Texas A&M (Nov. 14), home against No. 13 LSU (Nov. 21) and at Vanderbilt (Nov. 28). It likely needs to run the table to make the playoff.

If the Vols lose a game, the quarterback with the best odds of starting in 2027 could take over the job the rest of the way. It’s not clear which quarterback that Heupel views in that light, but time is running out to pick one. Of course, the next few games could bring clarity.

So far, Heupel’s pattern suggests that he won’t fully commit to a starting quarterback and instead hope that it works itself out. But don’t assume that he will start a quarterback in a game this season with next season in mind.

In the Music City Bowl last season, Heupel could’ve started MacIntyre over Joey Aguilar, who was playing with a benign tumor on the bicep of his throwing arm. But Heupel prioritized winning the game over getting a look at his potential future quarterback, so he stuck with Aguilar in a 30-28 loss to Illinois.

That indicates that Heupel might extend the current quarterback, choosing a starter each week based on odds of winning the next game, regardless of whether the Vols remain in the playoff hunt.

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: Why Josh Heupel is unsettled at quarterback as Tennessee football clings to CFP hope