The Tennessee Volunteers, after losing top quarterback Joey Aguilar to ineligibility, find themselves in another off-season with some uncertainty in their QB role. With three quarterbacks on his roster, head coach Josh Heupel has revealed his plans for them ahead of the 2026 season. Even after an impressive display from five-star Faizon Brandon, he is not changing his mind.

“It is open. We had that conversation with all of them as we started winter and they all arrived here,” Heupel said about the starting QB role in his media interview after Day 1 of spring practice. “We had that conversation again as we wrapped up winter and got into spring ball. Don’t expect a guy (starting quarterback) to be named here during the course of the spring ball.”

The competition is between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, five-star freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub. Having spent a year with the Volunteers, MacIntyre seems to be leading the race for the spot. But Brandon and Staub aren’t slacking either. 

Once clips from the field practice were released, Faizon Brandon’s physicality was a huge talking point. Despite being just 18, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound North Carolina native has the physical advantage over his counterparts. During his career at Grimsley High School, Brandon completed 72% of his passes for 6,374 yards and 79 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,261 yards and 21 TDs and had a 33-1 record as a starter.

Staub, in his own right, has the experience advantage, having spent three seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes. However, all of these mean nothing to Heupel, whose decision will only be based on who performs best in the coming months.

“They’ve had a good winter with the introduction of some of the things we’re doing offensively. I think it’s important that all the guys in that room learn and grow throughout the course of the spring and also have a chance to go back in your summer months, digest it, reinstall, and come back a much better player and compete and earn it in front of their teammates as you get into (fall) training camp.”

There is clearly no standout QB among the trio, with each having his own unique strength. But there are some positives in this battle. Whoever wins the race should give the Volunteers’ QB spot some stability for the next few years. 

The Volunteers’ previous QB drama

It is the second off-season in a row where the QB1 role in Tennessee has uncertainty around it. While there is less drama this off-season, the Volunteers were thrown into panic mode after former QB Nico Iamaleava departed over some compensation dispute. 

Iamaleava, alongside his brother, transferred to UCLA, forcing Aguilar out of a stacked QB room. Aguilar, who transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA some months before then, reentered the transfer portal and joined the Volunteers.

Joey Aguilar came in and delivered an exceptional performance, leading the SEC in passing yards and the Volunteers to an 8-4 record. He threw for 3,565 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sadly, he did not stay as long as he would have liked after a judge denied his request for eligibility this season. Aguilar’s backup, Jake Merklinger, also transferred to the UConn Huskies, making MacIntyre the only QB left from the previous year. 

There are big shoes to fill for whoever wins the QB battle in Tennessee. What currently looks like an indecisive QB room could be a blessing in disguise for Faizon Brandon, who has a huge chance to be a QB1 in his freshman year, an opportunity he’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.