The battle was once again tight this week in practice for Tennessee and Josh Heupel, but a quarterback decision has been made to take on Alabama in the huge SEC showdown. Get ready, Vols fans, as George MacIntyre is set to make his second-career start, hoping to take down the Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium.
On Thursday morning, news broke via ESPN's Pete Thamel that the second-year signal-caller will be the one to lead the offense out onto the field. What does this mean for Faizon Brandon? Last week against Arkansas, Heupel claimed that the five-star true freshman was still dealing with his shoulder injury, opening the door for MacIntyre to help power UT to a win over the Razorbacks.
This time around, however, Brandon was much more involved in practice, with Thamel reporting that he was getting an 'uptick' in practice running with the first-team group. Despite that, Heupel is still rocking with MacIntyre as QB1 to take on the Tide.
Sources: George MacIntyre is set to start for No. 14 Tennessee against No. 6 Alabama this weekend, which will be his second-straight week as starter. Faizon Brandon was listed as questionable for the Volunteers. pic.twitter.com/ganHwUzTVM
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 15, 2026
George MacIntyre starting vs. Alabama could decide Tennessee's QB battle moving forward
Now that MacIntyre is getting the nod against Kalen DeBoer's team, the QB controversy, for now, is a bit settled. Should MacIntyre play at a high level and help Tennessee record a monster upset, then there's no way Heupel can send him to the bench the rest of the season. That's got to be something Brandon keeps in mind, too.
Brandon originally won the job coming out of fall camp, performing quite well for his first three games of the season. Once SEC play got here, though, the wheels fell off a bit, with him struggling mightily against Texas, and then getting benched late in the first half against Auburn.
MacIntyre came in to help close things out against the Tigers. Then against Arkansas, he tossed for 247 yards and a touchdown, but with two interceptions. There's a lot for Macintyre to clean up, but he's earned Heupel's trust to give things another go for Week 7.
It's not just going to be on MacIntyre here. The ground game is of course going to be a major focus for the Tennessee offense, with DeSean Bishop needing to play at an All-SEC level. In the loss to Texas not that long ago in Knoxville, Bishop rushed for a season-low 34 yards in the heartbreaking 20-17 loss.
In order for the Vols to stun Bama, Bishop will have to be at his best. The same of course has to be said about MacIntyre, as the Crimson Tide defense is going to work overtime to make life rough for him. If he can take care of the football and make smart decisions, good things can happen for him and UT.
And with a win, it's going to make Heupel's QB call for the rest of the campaign that much easier. That's not going to be a simple task for MacIntyre against the No. 6 team in the country, but let's see what the youngster can do with the ball in his hands.
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