Josh Heupel's Tennessee QB1 decision is easier than the Vols are making it out to be

With spring ball in the rearview mirror for Josh Heupel and Tennessee, everyone is going to spend all summer wondering who the next starting quarterback will be for the Vols. Massive shoes will be filled, as Joey Aguilar won over the fanbase in his lone season in Knoxville. So, who will it be?

Moving forward, all eyes are going to be on Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre, as Heupel has an incredibly difficult decision to make. Looking at things closely, though, is it really that complicated for Heupel and the rest of his offensive staff?

CBS Sports has a bold take on Tennessee's offense for next season

We don't think so, and here's why. Throughout spring, Brandon and MacIntyre were essentially neck-and-neck in the quarterback race, despite the latter having an extra year on campus. This isn't a knock on MacIntyre at all, but Brandon has made the move to Tennessee on a huge NIL deal, ranked among the top players in the 2026 class.

If he and MacIntyre are at the same level, you send out the true freshman and let him spend the season on the field and getting better each week. Tennessee has to see what it has in the elite signal-caller, and letting him make 'rookie mistakes' as a true freshman will be better than him going through that process as a sophomore.

Faizon Brandon should be the no-brainer pick for Tennessee HC Josh Heupel

Just recently, there's been plenty of buzz on this quarterback battle, as reporter Trey Wallace seemed to hint that things are favoring Brandon right now. MacIntyre just signed with the Vols as a member of the 2025 class, ranked the No. 13 QB in the country per the 247Sports Composite. Last season, he tossed for 69 total yards in two garbage-time appearances.

Instead of entering the transfer portal, the Tennessee native decided to stay with the Vols and push for the starting job. He has given Heupel a lot to think about, but it's hard to ignore that Brandon also made a splash this spring and that there's also a ton of hype surrounding his name because of his 5-star status. Brandon was also ranked the No. 3 QB for the 2026 class. MacIntyre at no point did enough to convince the Vols he's the right man for the job.

Regardless of who wins the starting job, there are surely going to be some growing pains along the way. No one can or should expect Tennessee to push for an SEC title next season, but one of the top priorities will be for either Brandon or MacIntyre to claim the starting job and lock it in for the next few years.

There's a higher ceiling for Brandon, which feels like enough of a reason to give him the job, especially if things are as close in this battle as everyone is being made to believe. Yes, MacIntyre has a rocket for an arm too, but Brandon is your high-profile QB who Danny White is going to want to see a strong return on his investment from. This has to be something Heupel keeps in mind once fall camp gets here, but in our opinion, he's got to rock with the true freshman once Furman arrives to Neyland Stadoum so he can show the world what he's made of. The training wheels need to come off, and fast.

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