In the least surprising move of all time, Josh Heupel is keeping his starting quarterback decision ahead of Tennessee's road game at Arkansas as close to the vest as possible. George MacIntyre took over for an ineffective Faizon Brandon in the Vols' 24-12 home win over Auburn last weekend. With Arkansas being among the worst teams in the SEC, one would think it should be MacIntyre here.
According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, MacIntyre is expected to start against the Razorbacks. However, Heupel has not confirmed as of this writing whether or not that's going to be the case or not, declining to do so on multiple occasions.
With Brandon listed as questionable coming in, that could pave the way for MacIntyre to indeed make the start on Saturday afternoon. On the year, he has completed 70 percent of his passes for 148 yards and a touchdown over the course of four games. As for Brandon, he has completed 60.4 percent of his throws for 697 yards, seven touchdowns, and an interception, while getting sacked on the regular.
Josh Heupel is done taking quarterback questions.
— Paige Dauer (@PaigeDauerFDP) October 5, 2026
"Okay, next question. I'm done with the quarterbacks." pic.twitter.com/CZUdVOiNPe
Josh Heupel should have George MacIntyre starting over Faizon Brandon
It does not have to be this hard, but Heupel is making it so. It should be MacIntyre getting the start for three reasons. One, MacIntyre is healthier coming in. It is a long season, so now is not the time to thrust a marginalized Brandon out there for any reason. Two, Brandon has not played well the last two weeks. And three, if Tennessee cannot beat Arkansas with MacIntyre starting, then the season might as well be over.
This may be a road game in Fayetteville, but if Tennessee envisions itself getting back to the College Football Playoff, it has to win this one. Getting pushed around by Texas is one thing, but having to really earn it versus Auburn is another. Not to say the Arkansas game is a litmus test for the Vols, but a bad showing in the Hogs' house could be telling. Heupel being this stubborn is not the best option.
To be frank, it is sending MacIntyre the wrong message. Heupel should be hyping up his guy, and not trying to get into Ryan Silverfield's head. Silverfield may be up against it during his first season on the job at Arkansas, but he is not a bad head coach. He won a ton of games at Memphis prior to taking over in Fayetteville this past offseason. His team is devoid of talent, but the Razorbacks play so hard.
All in all, Heupel can do whatever he wants coming in because he is the Volunteers' head coach. He has earned the right to do so. However, trying to play head games with one of the worst rosters in the SEC is not what winning teams do. Heupel knows who is starting on Saturday, but being noncommittal is not the right way to go about it. You have a backup quarterback for a reason. You should use him!
Clearly, the last two weeks have brought some unresolved quarterback issues to the surface for UTK.
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