Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel will have to name a starting quarterback soon but as the Vols open preseason practice, he's not ready to anoint George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon as the starter.
The two quarterbacks went back and forth during spring practices and Heupel has been sure to avoid to give any indication that one had pulled ahead of the other. On Aug. 4, the day before the Vols' first practice, Heupel was still leaving the competition wide open.
“We’re starting training camp. Nobody’s going to earn it, lose it day one," Heupel said. "We’re stacking days, stacking reps and continuing to grow as a player."
Both MacIntyre and Brandon were top recruits coming out of high school, the former ranked the 13th best quarterback in his class
and the latter third by 247Sports. And when talent isn't a deficiency for either player, football IQ and knowledge of the playbook could be a difference maker.
"I want to see them be a different player than they were when they finished spring ball with their command and control of what we’re doing offensively," Heupel said. "You play a position where you have to be able to distribute the football, so that’s understanding our scheme, defenses, protections, checks and all of that."
MacIntyre is the more seasoned player, but only slightly. He appeared in two games during his freshman season, maintaining a redshirt while completing seven of nine passes for 69 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Brandon enrolled at Tennessee in January but already looks the part of a Division I quarterback at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. He adds an element in the run game with his size and athleticism. In an injury-shortened six-game senior season at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, Brandon completed 66 of 101 passes for 1,116 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception.
Heupel's turned over quarterbacks regularly at Tennessee and in previous stints at Missouri and Central Florida, so introducing another new quarterback is a familiar challenge.
"I kind of look at it like their an artist. You’ve got to give them the paintbrush and let them paint the painting," Heupel said. "There’s core things of who we want to be offensively, philosophically. Some of that has continued to evolve over the years as we try to put those guys in a position to be successful.”
Heupel is tasked with finding the best player for the Vols right now but also keeping an eye towards the future. In the age of the transfer portal, Heupel knows he could lose whoever comes up short in this quarterback competition.
History also suggests that Heupel's first pick might not be his last. The 2021 season started with Joe Milton leading the Vols offense but Hendon Hooker took over in Week 3 and never let go of the starting job before graduating.
Whoever ends up as the starter will have a strong supporting cast, from the experienced offensive line to returning 1,000-yard rusher De'Sean Bishop and a dynamic wide receiver duo in Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley. And Heupel's proven he can coach top offenses despite rotating personnel.
Ultimately, Heupel wants either MacIntyre or Brandon to leave no doubt about who should be Tennessee's starting quarterback.
"Someone will go out there and earn it," Heupel said. "And once that guy has done that, we’ll go out and name a guy.”
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel on Tennessee's QB competition, George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon
