The University of Tennessee hasn’t brought a quarterback to SEC Media Days since Hendon Hooker in 2022. That trend continued this year as the Vols arrived in Tampa, Florida last week without a leading man behind center.
It didn’t prevent quarterback from being the main topic of most interviews conducted by head coach Josh Heupel and UT’s three player representatives – running back DeSean Bishop and linebackers Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander.
The Vols will enter preseason camp with a quarterback battle between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre – who played only 18 snaps for the Vols last season – and true freshman Faizon Brandon. It’ll be the fourth consecutive year Heupel and his staff have broken in a new starter at quarterback.
Preseason practice at UT begins Aug. 5, and the season opener against Furman is Sept. 5 (2:30 p.m. CDT, SEC Network+/ESPN+).
“The great thing is those two guys are going to have an opportunity to go earn it in front of their peers,” Heupel says. “We’re going to let the quarterback competition play out here during the course of training camp. I think that guy, like everybody else, has to earn it in front of their peers.”
Helpful running start
Despite the spotlight on the quarterback in Heupel’s up-tempo offense, he’s consistently stressed that “our identity always has been and always will be our run game.” UT has rushed for more than 2,000 yards in five consecutive years and is the only team in the SEC to have three different 1,000-yard rushers in the past three seasons.
Bishop, a redshirt junior, started his career as a preferred walk-on from Knoxville’s Karns High School. He was a first-year starter last season and finished with 1,076 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns while earning All-SEC second-team honors.
Bishop is confident no matter who hands him the ball, the Vols have a chance to set records this season offensively.
“I believe the sky’s the limit, especially with a lot of returning guys. I know we’re pretty young at quarterback, but we’re going to do everything we can to sustain the run game,” Bishop says. “Obviously this year we’re going to throw the ball as well. Looking back from last season, returning a 1,000-yard rusher is pretty good, I would say. Just going to continue that stride. We’ve run the ball tremendously over the years, and just looking forward to getting back to where we left off from last year.”
Having experienced veterans back in the fold provides a measure of comfort for Heupel when it comes to choosing a starting quarterback.
“Whenever you start a young quarterback, it’s important the other guys around him play at an extremely high level,” Heupel says. “We have a lot of guys that will put those guys in a good position to go do their jobs. It’s important you tie everything, special teams and defensively, as well.”
Taking ownership of the position
Despite being a true freshman, Brandon has already immersed himself in the community. Last weekend, he hosted a youth football camp at Anderson High School for nearly 100 youth players. Proceeds from the camp will benefit the Tennessee Children’s Home, and Brandon says he plans to match the total amount raised.
Heupel would prefer to have one player emerge as the clear-cut starter at quarterback to get consistent repetitions with the other starters. But he knows the Vols may need multiple options throughout the season for multiple reasons.
The UT coaches have been preparing for the quarterback transition over the last few months. They were able to assess all the options during spring practice, and will continue the process right up until the first snap of the 2026 season.
“I think it starts with their skill sets and their work, but having a plan of how we’re going to grow them inside of what we’re doing,” Heupel says. “Then, I think our staff’s ability to adapt to whoever the quarterback is and put him in a position to do things he’s doing at a really high level, that he’s comfortable with, to put him in a position of comfort, confidence to go out there and play the way that you need to at that position.”