George MacIntyre knew the history of Josh Heupel’s backup quarterbacks at Tennessee before his competition with Faizon Brandon heated up.
Now MacIntyre is one of those backups, and he’s tasked with being ready in case he’s called upon in a critical situation.
Heupel named Brandon, the five-star freshman, as his starter when No. 18 Tennessee plays Furman on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., ESPN+/SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium.
A source confirmed Heupel's decision to Knox News, requesting anonymity because an official announcement has not been made. Heupel is expected to address the quarterback situation in a press conference at 12:15 p.m. ET on Aug. 24.
In Heupel’s five seasons at Tennessee, his backup quarterback in the season opener ultimately started 14
games as a replacement later in the season — 11 by Hendon Hooker in 2021, two by Joe Milton in 2022 and one by Nico Iamaleava in 2023.
And the backup has played meaningful snaps in other situations, as well.
When preseason practice began, MacIntyre referenced that history when asked if his competition with Brandon could extend into the season.
“There are a lot of different outcomes. I think it’s played out different ways here with Joe and Hendon and all the other quarterbacks they’ve had here,” MacIntyre said on Aug. 5 in his last media availability.
When will George MacIntyre play in relief of Faizon Brandon?
MacIntyre likely will get playing time early in the season, even as the backup. The Vols will be a heavy favorite against Furman (Sept. 5) and Kennesaw State (Sept. 19), sandwiched around a tough trip to Georgia Tech (Sept. 12).
If Brandon holds on to the starting job, he’ll face an SEC gauntlet after that, beginning with a home game against Texas (Sept. 26). With the SEC debuting a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, there could be fewer opportunities for a backup quarterback to play late in the season if the starter is healthy.
However, UT’s starter has rarely gone through a season unscathed.
In 2021, Hooker started the season as Milton’s backup. But Hooker ultimately replaced an injured Milton and started the final 11 games of the season. After that swap, Milton played in relief of an injured Hooker in a loss to Ole Miss.
In 2022, Hooker was the starter with Milton as the backup. But Hooker suffered a season-ending injury, and Milton started the final two games and won the Orange Bowl MVP.
In 2023, Milton opted out of the Citrus Bowl with the encouragement of UT coaches to let backup Nico Iamaleava start. Iamaleava won the Citrus Bowl MVP.
In 2024, Iamaleava missed the entire second half of the Mississippi State game with concussion-like symptoms. Backup Gaston Moore finished off the win.
In 2025, backup Jake Merklinger wasn’t called upon for meaningful snaps, as Joey Aguilar avoided injuries.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why George MacIntyre should expect to play as Tennessee backup QB
