Tennessee has settled its quarterback battle for the 2026 season, and the job belongs to Faizon Brandon.
That decision closes the door, at least for now, on a competition that featured Brandon and second-year quarterback George MacIntyre. With both players in the mix, the Volunteers had a real choice to make for Josh Heupel’s offense. In the end, Tennessee went with the first-year quarterback.
MacIntyre remains a capable option, and the door is still open for him if Brandon doesn’t meet expectations early in his Tennessee career. But Brandon’s ceiling clearly drove the call. In a battle this tight, the bigger picture mattered, and Tennessee weighed what the offense could look like beyond 2026 as much as what it could be right away.
That kind of calculation was always part of this. When the Vols added MacIntyre, the expectation was that he was part of the future.
When they brought in Brandon, they weren’t just thinking long term - they had a player who could potentially help now, too. Once both quarterbacks arrived on campus, it was obvious this wouldn’t be a simple decision.
The evaluation likely started well before they ever got to college, with Heupel and his staff understanding that a major quarterback showdown could be coming.
Brandon’s arm strength is a plus, but what stands out most is how advanced he already is for his age. He can run an offense like a veteran and still take coaching well.
Vols On SI reporter Dale Dowden and I saw him in person multiple times, and the accuracy was obvious. When he made mistakes, they were corrected quickly, and those errors were small ones.
In the SEC, though, even small details matter at quarterback.
He also does a strong job of hitting receivers as they break, which is a skill that can’t be overlooked when every fraction of a second counts.
So yes, Tennessee made the right call with Brandon. He looks like a future star in Knoxville, Tennessee, no dount in my mind.
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Arkansas Just Gave Tennessee One More Reason To Watch Fayetteville
Arkansas has settled on its quarterback for the opener, and that gives Tennessee fans one more name to keep in mind when the Volunteers start sorting through the early SEC schedule. Junior KJ Jackson will get the first crack at the job against North Alabama, a notable development for a Razorbacks team that is turning the offense over to a player with game experience but no full-time starting resume.
Jackson beat out sophomore transfer AJ Hill, who arrived from Memphis, and he steps in to replace Taylen Green as Arkansas starter. For Tennessee, it is another early look at how the Razorbacks plan to reshape themselves under center, and how quickly that choice could matter once the games start to count in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]
Heupel Keeps Tennessees Arion Carter Frustration Front And Center
Tennessee linebacker Arion Carters two-game NCAA suspension has become more than a roster note for Josh Heupel. Carter was sidelined because of a $427 flight paid for during the pre-NFL draft process, a cost he later repaid after choosing to return to college, and the Vols coach has been openly critical of how the situation was handled. It is the kind of eligibility ruling that can linger around a program, especially when it affects a player expected to matter early in the season.
Heupels frustration also sits against a larger backdrop that has made these cases harder to ignore. Other players, including Cleveland Browns rookie DaeQuan Wright, have gone back to college football after receiving much larger NFL bonuses, even as legal challenges continue over NCAA eligibility rules. For Tennessee, Carters case is a reminder that the line between amateurism and the modern player marketplace still feels inconsistent, and it is exactly the sort of inconsistency Heupel has kept front and center. [Read more 🡒]
Arion Carter Case Shows Why Tennessee Fans Are So Frustrated With The NCAA
Arion Carters case landed right in the middle of one of the biggest fault lines in college football: where amateur rules end and the modern pre-draft business begins. The Tennessee linebacker will miss the first two games of the 2026 season after being hit with a Level III NCAA violation over a $427 flight from an agent, a situation he later corrected by repaying the money and cutting ties with the agent.
For Tennessee fans, the frustration is less about the money than the contrast. NCAA enforcement is already under heavy scrutiny and legal challenge, and the whole episode feels even harder to swallow when players in other situations are navigating eligibility questions in a very different way. Carters punishment is a reminder that the system still draws hard lines in some places, even as those lines appear to be shifting elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]