Thursday’s second fall practice for Tennessee football offered another early look at the quarterback battle and a few other spots worth watching as Josh Heupel’s team builds toward the 2026 season.
The clearest takeaway from the open viewing periods was that Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre remain the names at the top of the quarterback discussion. Both worked through routes on air, and both came away with strong showings.
Brandon, after MacIntyre had looked sharper on Wednesday, answered with a cleaner morning and fewer mistakes. MacIntyre was steady again, too, and the two looked far more alike in accuracy than the other quarterbacks in the room.
That gap was obvious when Ryan Staub and Mason Phillips took their turns. Brandon and MacIntyre got the ball out faster and with more zip, while the other two quarterbacks looked a step behind in that part of the workout. Brandon, in particular, stood out for arm strength.
Here’s how the routes on air played out for each quarterback.
George MacIntyre completed throws to Radarious Jackson on a screen, TK Keys on a screen, Braylon Staley on an in route, TK Keys on a screen, Radarious Jackson on an in route, Drake Martinez on a whip route, Joakim Dodson on an out route, Mike Matthews on an in route, Ben Petermann on an in route, Travis Smith Jr. on an in route, Luca Wolf on an in route, Braylon Staley on an in route, Mike Matthews on an in route, Radarious Jackson on a 10-yard out route, DaSaahn Brame on an in route, Joakim Dodson on a curl and Mike Matthews on a 10-yard out route. His one miss came on a throw to DaSaahn Brame, which was dropped on a whip route.
Brandon completed throws to Travis Smith Jr. on a screen, Luca Wolf on a screen, Trent Thomas on a screen, Joakim Dodson on an in route, Mike Matthews on a screen, Luca Wolf on a whip route, Braylon Staley on an out route, Ian Duarte on an out route, TK Keys on an in route, Radarious Jackson on an in route, DaSaahn Brame on an in route, Joakim Dodson on an in route, TK Keys on an in route, Travis Smith Jr. on a 10-yard out route, Braylon Staley on a curl, Ian Duarte on a curl and TK Keys on a 10-yard out route. He had two incompletions, one to DaSaahn Brame on a low screen that should’ve been caught and another to Travis Smith Jr. on an in route that was dropped.
Staub completed passes to Deon Hardin on a screen, Cole Harrison on a screen, Tyreek King on an in route, Nathan Roberts on a screen, Cole Harrison on a whip route, Tyreek King on an out route, Deon Hardin on an in route twice, Cole Harrison on an in route, Tyreek King on an in route, Luke Thompson on an in route, Tyreek King on a curl and Nathan Roberts on a 10-yard out route. He was also incomplete to Deon Hardin on a 10-yard out route, with the throw sailing high.
Phillips completed throws to JaColby Cooper on a screen, Ian Duarte on an in route, Ben Petermann on a screen, Travis Smith Jr. on an in route, Trent Thomas on a whip route, Lane Cope on an out route, Nathan Roberts on an in route twice, Ian Duarte on an in route and Ben Petermann on a 10-yard out route. His incompletions came on a dropped screen to Drake Martinez.
At tight end, Alec Abeln’s group seemed to lean more toward blocking work early after spending a lot of time in the passing game the day before. Ethan Davis was not out there, which left DaSaahn Brame and Cole Harrison as the most visible players in the room. Harrison continues to look like a possible factor this season, and he appears to fit the more complete tight end profile Tennessee seems to trust.
On the offensive line, David Sanders looked every bit like an older, more polished player, even though he is a sophomore. He was also coaching up five-star freshman Gabriel Osenda off to the side. Sanders also looks noticeably bigger and stronger than he did last year, which makes the size and weight questions from a year ago feel long gone.
TK Keys, who is supposed to be a little limited today, still moved well in routes on air and didn’t appear to have any problems catching the ball.
Defensively, the secondary was divided between safeties and cornerbacks. Working with the safeties were TJ Metcalf, Steele Katina, Jowell Combay, Dejuan Lane, Sidney Walton, Edrees Farooq, Tevis Metcalf, Qua Moss and Jamyan Theodore. The cornerbacks group included Tim Merritt, Isaiah Hardge, Kayin Lee, Tre Poteat, Zay Anderson, Jackson Mathews and Javonte Smith.
Ty Redmond was out again, and Dylan Lewis also appeared limited. Joel Wyatt wasn’t spotted, though he may have been missed. Wyatt worked with the corners yesterday, which stood out given his size, but it also speaks to his athleticism.
The linebackers were paired in an older-player, younger-player setup that was easy to notice. Arion Carter worked with Jaedon Harmon, Edwin Spillman was with Brayden Rouse, Amare Campbell paired with Jadon Perlotte and Jeremiah Telander was alongside TJ White. William Inge moved around the group and added pointers while the veterans helped the younger players.
Up front, Daevin Hobbs and Nathan Robinson continued to stand out on the interior defensive line. Both looked like leaders in the room and were getting a lot of the first reps.
Tennessee’s red non-contact jerseys were worn by WR Jack-Henry Jakobik, DL Isaiah Campbell, DL Breeze Carter and DL Carson Gentle. Not practicing were TE Ethan Davis, DB Ty Redmond and DB Jadais Richard, who is out with a season-ending injury.
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