By Brody Rupert
In Saturday’s 24-14 win against the Auburn Tigers, the No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers benched quarterback Faizon Brandon for George MacIntyre.
Brandon, a five-star true freshman out of North Carolina, had been struggling through his first game and a half of SEC play. He was not confident throwing the football and had difficulty staying inside the pocket.
After a bad interception in the middle of the second quarter, Brandon’s confidence was shot. He sat on the bench with his head down and looked shaken. The interception was his last pass of the game.
Both quarterbacks have upside as the starter. For now, MacIntyre has been named the starter for Saturday’s game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, but the rest of the season is up in the air.
Brandon is also dealing with a shoulder injury.
Faizon Brandon: Legs and potential
Brandon’s potential is through the roof; he just may have to develop and mature as a quarterback. He was the No. 3 quarterback in the class of 2026 and earned the starting job through a strong fall camp.
He has shown flashes of that talent — accurate deep balls, the ability to extend the play and a fantastic arm — but he has also struggled. He has missed short throws, made poor decisions with some of his checkdowns and does not know when to run.
He is effective with his legs, escaping the pocket and running for large gains on any given play. He already has three rushing touchdowns this season on roughly 37 attempts (excluding sacks).
The issue is he has been running too often, failing to trust his arm and his receivers. By the time he was taken out of the game against Auburn in the second quarter, he had completed only three passes.
If he can put everything together and develop as a passer, he could be a great playmaker. Until then, he may be battling to find his way back to being a starter.
George MacIntyre: Composed and accurate
MacIntyre, a four-star quarterback from Franklin, Tennessee, is a different archetype than Brandon. MacIntyre is a pocket passer who can stretch the field and has beautiful touch on his passes, while Brandon is a dual-threat who has relied on his legs.
This is not to say the hometown kid is incapable of scrambling; he is still a fast quarterback who can run and make plays outside of the pocket, but he does his best work with his feet set between the tackles.
MacIntyre can see the field well from the tackle box, standing 6-foot-6. His height makes him difficult to bring down and allows him to have a high point of release with the football.
So far, MacIntyre has been a much more accurate quarterback than Brandon. Despite playing a conservative, run-first offensive scheme in the second half against Auburn, he went 8-for-10 passing. He was sacked only once, showing he was effective at getting the ball off.
Who gives the Vols a better chance to win?
As of right now, MacIntyre appears to give the Vols a better chance of winning big games. While Brandon has all the potential in the world to be a great starting quarterback, he is only 18 years old and was just introduced to college football. His first SEC game against Texas clearly shook him, making it hard to regain confidence.
MacIntyre has more familiarity with the team and system — this is his second year playing — and he is more accustomed to the speed and skill level of SEC football.
Accuracy and pocket presence are needed, and the 20-year-old is simply more comfortable.
Sitting behind MacIntyre will give Brandon time to develop and grow as a quarterback, allowing him to return as a higher-level starter in the future.