By Jay King
It is now less than two weeks until football time in Tennessee, and Vol fans can barely wait. One of the things dividing the fanbase over the offseason is the ongoing quarterback battle between sophomore George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon.
There is now an answer.
Early on Monday morning, head coach Josh Heupel announced that Brandon had won the starting job over MacIntyre.
“[I] told the team earlier this morning that Faizon had earned the right to be the starter week one,” said Heupel. “I love what the group has done, how they’ve competed, grown, love how they competed and supported each other throughout the course of training camp.”
While Brandon will be the starter for week one and the foreseeable future, Heupel also mentions that the starting job is never guaranteed, even for the quarterback, when asked whether this job is week-to-week.
“Every position is week-to-week,” Heupel said. “He’s earned that right, but just like every position, you can consistently evaluate.”
It was not just one factor that made him the starter. It was a combination of many factors. The main ones mentioned were play recognition, his ability in the RPO game, his poise in the passing game, fundamentals, and pocket awareness.
Heupel also commented on Brandon’s work ethic. While the team was away in May for summer break, Brandon was still training at the facilities.
It might have been disappointing to MacIntyre to lose the starting job at the start of the season. Heupel said that he still needs to keep his head up.
“It’s important that you take where you’re at,” said Heupel. “You continue to work and compete [because] you don’t know when your number’s gonna be called.”
When it comes to the run game, it has been impressive in practice so far.
Whether it is pre-play recognition, running the ball, or pass protection, the entire room has shown out. Heupel claimed that this year’s running back room is one of the strongest ones that he has had here at Tennessee.
DL Jordan Norman
Heading over to the defensive side of the ball, Tulane transfer Jordan Norman claimed that the combination of pass rushing and run stopping has been apparent so far in practice.
Norman credits coaches Rodney Garner and Andrew Jackson, and his feel for the playbook, for his improvements. He claimed that he was “a ball player” after being asked if he was more of a LEO or a defensive end.
The consistency of the pass rush was one of the issues that Garner had mentioned earlier, and Norman agreed.
“We have days when we’re up, and we have days when we’re down,” said Norman. “Taking in the young guys under our leads… once we start doing that, I feel like we have [consistency].”
Norman admitted he needed to improve his vocal leadership, as he had not spoken much in the past.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was another player Norman complemented as he worked on his versatility in pass rush and pass coverage.
When discussing the pass rush’s approach, Norman said they are more concerned with affecting the quarterback than with sacking them.
Norman compared Brandon to Lamar Jackson in terms of elusiveness and claimed he got faked out by Brandon in the pocket.
Lastly, tackle David Sanders was a great matchup for Norman in practice.
“If I had to go against an offensive lineman in practice, I would go against [Sanders],” said Norman. “We both give each other great work… Iron sharpens iron.”
DL Tyree Weathersby
Jackson said earlier that Weathersby had “jumper cables for hands.”
“I would definitely assume that he is speaking on how physical I am,” said Weathersby. “When I put my hands on people, I shock them.”
Being more polished was something Weathersby mentioned as an improvement this offseason, and he said his health was one of the factors behind his major improvements.
The defensive scheme this season is set to be better with Knowles in because it will be easier to get sacks without waiting, Weathersby said, adding that the current scheme fits his game better.
Weathersby claims that he is in the best physical shape that he has been in his whole career, and claims that new strength and conditioning coach Derek Owings “did a 180 on the program.”
UP NEXT: With the season getting closer and closer to starting, fans will be happy to hear that the starter has been named and that the defense is looking more polished.
The Volunteers have one more full week of practice, and then they will be fully prepared for week one when the Furman Paladins come to town to kick off the season.