Josh Heupel is taking it slow with the Vols’ QB room after Joey Aguilar’s departure. Last year, Tennessee faced real challenges at quarterback, first with Nico Iamaleava’s abrupt move to UCLA and then adjusting with Aguilar. Things got tough for Tennessee in the offseason when the latter’s eligibility plea was denied. For the second time in a row, Vols fans will be seeing a proper race for the starting position.

The Tennessee QB1 battle will primarily be fought between three contenders: Freshman Faizon Brandon, returnee George MacIntyre, and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub. It is a risky situation for the Vols, since neither of them have enough experience. But Heupel has an update that fans will appreciate.

“I love the group, how they compete with each other, and challenge each other in the practice field and in the meeting room, but do it in a positive way,” Tennessee’s head coach Josh Heupel said on the Outkick Hot Mic podcast. “They’ve gone out, they’ve competed, and they continue to grow and learn.

“The biggest thing for those guys, like everybody inside of our roster, is to not make the same mistake twice. You want to see continued growth from those guys. You know, we’ve had five different quarterbacks in the last six years, and we’ll find a guy that’s ready to go play at a high level through this process.”

Each of the three QBs has a unique set of pros and cons. MacIntyre has been in the Tennessee offense the longest, though he passed for only 69 yards last season. Brandon is entering the 2026 season having missed his senior season in high school because of an injury. On the other hand, this is the 3rd-best quarterback of the 2026 cycle, so he definitely has some potential. Ryan Staub, on the other hand, is the lone outsider, but he is also the most experienced among the three. But the bottom line is, all of them have to go a long way for this race to swing towards either of them.

On3’s Pete Nakos said after the first spring scrimmage that the fight seems to be between Brandon and MacIntyre. According to him, both of them had their share of good and bad plays, including some picks. But Brandon seems to “look the part,” while the senior QB has “flashed” throughout the spring. It would be wrong to count Staub out of the race, because his experience in a struggling team like Colorado cannot be ignored. According to an insider, Staub did well on third team reps.

Tennessee’s new starting quarterback will be in for a tough ride, since their 2026 schedule is among the SEC’s toughest. Heupel will be going ahead with a major gamble here, as a veteran and well-seasoned QB would have been his best shot at navigating the calendar with as little damage as possible. But he will have to hope that either Staub, MacIntyre, or Brandon is able to meet this expectation when the season starts. That is why Tennessee will be taking its sweet time before it announces its pick.

Josh Heupel on the timeline for naming his QB1

Unlike last year, this quarterback battle will not have a clear winner at the beginning. Heupel wants the young talents to use the entirety of this offseason to develop into the signal-caller that he is envisioning for the season.

“Don’t anticipate naming a guy here through spring ball,” the head coach told OutKick. “I think it’s important that the quarterback is allowed time to grow throughout the course of the summer, come back and find out where they’re at in training camp. As much as anything, when you have young guys that are competing for the job, I think it’s important that they have a chance in front of their teammates to go take it and earn it as well.”

This is something that Heupel stressed from the very beginning. And it is natural for him to do so, because of how unproven all of the candidates are as of now. Stepping into Joey Aguilar‘s shoes will not be easy for them; they will be replacing one of the most talented passers in the SEC from last year. And, Aguilar had a far easier schedule to deal with.

Last year, Heupel found a blessing in Aguilar at one of the toughest points in the offseason. This year, he is challenged with naming someone worthy of being his successor, who is also expected to carry Tennessee into the playoffs. Who will he eventually pick when the time comes?