The Tennessee quarterback battle has been the talk of Knoxville all spring, and that won't stop. With the first scrimmage over, George MacIntyre might have an early lead.
When Josh Heupel was asked if he's seeing George MacIntyre process what he's seeing faster, and like a quarterback who has been in the system for a year, he wasn't shy in giving MacIntyre praise. Heupel said:
“Yeah, I think even Day one, Day two of spring ball, from where he was at the end of the season, you can see the steps that he’s taken, so really pleased with that."
George MacIntyre's extra year is paying off
Heupel, overall, seems really pleased with George MacIntyre's growth. With MacIntyre having an extra year in the system, he probably is in the early lead right now above Faizon Brandon. It was reported that Brandon had a mediocre practice the other day, but I wouldn't sound the alarm, as a young quarterback like Brandon will have bad days.
Overall, what gives George MacIntyre the edge in this quarterback battle is his grasp of the system and the benefit of an extra time to build chemistry with the wide receivers. We saw MacIntyre down in Florida this offseason getting extra reps in with his wideouts.
It cannot be stated how important it is to be able to know where your wide receivers will be and to be able to make anticipated throws. That is something that comes with time and a connection with the ball cartcher.
To build on that, knowing the system obviously makes a big difference. The margin in the SEC is so slim, and the difference between moving the sticks and s a sack can be a split second. Heupel sees that MacIntyre has made big strides so soon, which is immensely encouraging.
This quarterback battle is far from over, and with kickoff seemingly imminent, this battle will go into fall camp. While the spring game won't be the benchmark for everything, I think it will give us a good idea of who has the edge, as it will be the closest thing we get to real in-game action.