George MacIntyre spent the early part of the offseason monitoring the quarterback situation at the University of Tennessee. MacIntyre didn’t know if Joey Aguilar would win his lawsuit and return as the starter, or if any transfers may arrive through the portal to join the program.
“Obviously it was a lot of unknown. But I liked where I was,” says MacIntyre, a redshirt freshman. “I wanted to stay where my feet were and just kind of came out on the right side of it, I guess. As long as I had a chance to compete, I was going to be here.”
MacIntyre is getting that opportunity as the Vols launched spring practice last month with a quarterback competition at the forefront. MacIntyre, true freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado redshirt junior transfer Ryan Staub are trying to win the starting job.
Unlike last season when Nico Iamaleava surprised everyone by leaving the program at the end of the spring, the Vols have more of a runway to find a starter behind center this season.
“Don’t expect a guy to be named here during the course of spring ball,” UT head coach Josh Heupel says. “I think it’s important that all the guys in that room learn and grow throughout the course of spring, also have a chance to go back in your summer months, digest it, reinstall and come back a much better player and compete and earn it in front of their teammates as you get into training camp.”
MacIntyre is the only UT quarterback with experience in Heupel’s system. He played in two regular season games last season, completing 7 of 9 passes for 69 yards. The Franklin native has added 20 pounds to his slight frame since arriving on campus, going from 182 to 202 pounds.
Having more than a year of learning under his belt, MacIntyre feels more confident running the offense this spring.
“A lot more, for sure. I felt like I was kind of drinking from a fire hose for spring ball last year. And this year, kind of really knowing the ins and outs and the protections and everything that goes with the offense,” he says. “I feel like I’ve got the scheme down pretty well and will only improve with more reps.”
Different learning curves
Staub is the veteran of the group by age and experience. The Southern California native spent three seasons at Colorado, appearing in 12 games with two starts. Staub completed 53 of 98 passes.
“Obviously if I can help the room, if I can help the guys, that’s great, but I am here to compete,” Staub says. “I’m here to be the best quarterback that I can be, and that’s my goal every day.”
Although he’s only been at UT for a short time, Staub believes he’s already grown as a quarterback under Heupel and the offensive staff.
“In my three years of playing college football, I haven’t had as much coaching as I’ve had in the first month that I’ve been here,” he says. “So every time he pulls me to the side after a rep and talks to me about my feet or my base or the way my off-arm was on the throw or whatever happened on the rep, I mean, it’s cool. It’s a lot of special coaching.”
Brandon, a five-star recruit from North Carolina, has impressed the UT players and coaches with his athleticism and playmaking abilities. He is still trying to adjust to the higher volume of information provided at the college level, along with the typical adjustments experienced by every early college arrival.
“I feel like it’s just competing every day, taking it day by day and just trying to learn and go out there and make everybody better,” Brandon says. “I feel like when everybody’s competing together, it makes the whole room better. So I feel like we’re all just competing every day and just taking it day by day and seeing where it leads us.”
Cutting it loose
UT offensive coordinator Joey Halzle wants to see the quarterback play without the fear of making mistakes. He wants them to “cut it loose” and play hard during every rep.
“Show that you can make plays while taking care of the football. That’s the biggest thing,” Halzle says. “I think a lot of times guys either go one way too hard. They try to make every play and they maybe give some stuff away. And then they try to play too tight to not make a mistake, to not lose the job, and that’s not what we want to see either.”
MacIntyre isn’t a complete stranger to quarterback competitions. As a sophomore at Brentwood Academy, he beat out a junior and senior for the starting job. He says the experience can help everyone involved if approached with the right mindset.
“I think the actual competition part of it is the best part,” MacIntyre says. “Just being able to have other guys push you and not only just push yourself, but push others, have others push you and just get better collectively as a group every single day.”