Tennessee insider suggests new QB1 is separating himself in the competition

The Tennessee quarterback battle has been one of the biggest storylines all offseason. Spring practice gave a little bit of insight into who might be pulling ahead, but neither George Macintyre nor Faizon Brandon looked like they had fully separated from the pack yet. Josh Heupel has said he likes what he’s seen from both guys and is encouraged by their progress, but he’s also made it clear there’s still a lot they need to clean up.

The 24-team playoff idea is something Tennessee fans have every reason to hate

Given that, Fox's Trey Wallace offered some info he's heard on the Tennessee quarterback situation. He said, "From what I keep hearing, it’s probably going to be the Faizon thing. The term ‘Hail Mary’ was thrown out to me the other day in regards to MacIntyre getting the job. He had a year and a half head start on the freshman to get in and win over the locker room, and learn the playbook."

To dig even deeper, BetOnline has released odds for the Tennessee quarterback job, and while Brandon isn’t a huge favorite, they seem to think he has the edge. He sits at -150 while MacIntyre is +110, giving Brandon a decent edge.

Faizon Brandon could be in the lead for QB1

Wallace does make a fair argument when it comes to MacIntyre. He’s got an extra year in the system, more familiarity with the playbook, and likely knows Tennessee’s receivers better than anyone else on the roster. Even with that advantage, though, he didn’t clearly pull away during spring practice. After the spring game, it felt like he may have held a slight edge, but the competition was still too close to definitively call. MacIntyre often went to the checkdown, while Brandoin showed more flash but struggled at times connecting on deep throws.

What stands out about Brandoin is how strong his arm is and how good an athlete he is. As a five-star recruit, the upside is obvious and there’s a lot of potential in his game. Tennessee wouldn’t need him to come in and be a superstar right away, just someone who can consistently make plays and hit the occasional big throw when it’s there. We saw JKS at Cal and Bryce Underwood at Michigan, both of whom flashed last season. If we can get a similar version of the in Knoxville, we will have a really exciting team next fall.

While I don’t put a huge amount of stock in this report, especially this far out from Week 1, it is interesting where Wallace is coming from. It ultimately points to the fact that MacIntyre may have his back against the wall, and if he doesn’t start showing more improvement, it could very well become Brandon’s job to lose.

I just hope someone separates them by Week 1, because I can’t stand when teams trot out two quarterbacks every other series. I’m a firm believer in the phrase: “If you have two QBs, you have none.” Josh Heupel has a big decision coming this August.

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