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Has Faizon Brandon pulled ahead of George MacIntyre in the Tennessee quarterback competition a month after spring practice? Or is this just an offseason talking point that’s gotten out of hand?
Beginning in mid-May, Brandon got a boost among Tennessee football fans on social media and even some traditional media. It raises the question about what changed in the QB battle that coach Josh Heupel says is open until at least preseason practice in August.
On this podcast episode of "The Volunteer State," beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams discuss how this storyline developed, and they attempt to separate reality from perception. Plus, they size up the job that Josh Elander has done in his debut season at Tennessee baseball head coach.
To hear the full conversation, listen to the 52-minute podcast. Here are a few highlights.
Brandon, a five-star freshman, impressed UT coaches in spring practice, but he also understandably made rookie mistakes. MacIntyre, a redshirt freshman, had highs and lows. The perceived gap between them appeared to shrink and perhaps disappear in spring practice.
So why do some fans believe that Brandon has the job in hand already? Sparks explained how a few comments by reporters were inflated and then repeated without essential context. That's a predictable path for many college football topics in the offseason.
That being said, there’s some truth to Brandon's perceived lead in the quarterback competition. He may not be ahead yet, but his trajectory points to that eventually happening. However, Brandon must keep progressing to take the job, or MacIntyre could meet the challenge to stave off his momentum.
Either possibility is still on the table as UT players start summer workouts. But the competition is still open.
Sparks and Adams compared Tennessee's quarterback situation to its 2026 opponents, at least from a preseason perspective.
They agree that Texas' Arch Manning, Auburn's Byrum Brown, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, LSU's Sam Leavitt and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed are better than UT's quarterback options.
Alabama's competition between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack isn't quite the same as Tennessee. Georgia Tech's Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, is an interesting matchup in Week 2.
The podcast transitions to Tennessee baseball, which has produced more optimism with a late-season surge.
The Vols have a top 30 RPI, a Top 25 ranking and a 12-10 record in Quad 1 games. That includes series wins over projected NCAA regional hosts Texas, Alabama and Mississippi State.
Adams said UT's pitching staff is shaky, but he doesn't blame Elander for that weakness. Sparks assigns some responsibility on Elander for mismanaging the bullpen, especially early in the season.
They agree that Elander is the right coach to eventually get Tennessee back to College World Series. He's grown as a head coach in his first season in that role.
Adams said Elander has already had a successful season because UT will make the NCAA tournament. Sparks said fans will determine if the season if a pass or fail based on how deep the Vols go in the postseason.
To hear that full conversation, listen to the podcast.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Faizon Brandon vs George MacIntyre, premature talk in Tennessee QB competition
Continue reading...
Beginning in mid-May, Brandon got a boost among Tennessee football fans on social media and even some traditional media. It raises the question about what changed in the QB battle that coach Josh Heupel says is open until at least preseason practice in August.
On this podcast episode of "The Volunteer State," beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams discuss how this storyline developed, and they attempt to separate reality from perception. Plus, they size up the job that Josh Elander has done in his debut season at Tennessee baseball head coach.
To hear the full conversation, listen to the 52-minute podcast. Here are a few highlights.
Why Faizon Brandon's trajectory is better than George MacIntyre
Brandon, a five-star freshman, impressed UT coaches in spring practice, but he also understandably made rookie mistakes. MacIntyre, a redshirt freshman, had highs and lows. The perceived gap between them appeared to shrink and perhaps disappear in spring practice.
So why do some fans believe that Brandon has the job in hand already? Sparks explained how a few comments by reporters were inflated and then repeated without essential context. That's a predictable path for many college football topics in the offseason.
That being said, there’s some truth to Brandon's perceived lead in the quarterback competition. He may not be ahead yet, but his trajectory points to that eventually happening. However, Brandon must keep progressing to take the job, or MacIntyre could meet the challenge to stave off his momentum.
Either possibility is still on the table as UT players start summer workouts. But the competition is still open.
How Tennessee quarterbacks compare to 2026 opponents
Sparks and Adams compared Tennessee's quarterback situation to its 2026 opponents, at least from a preseason perspective.
They agree that Texas' Arch Manning, Auburn's Byrum Brown, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, LSU's Sam Leavitt and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed are better than UT's quarterback options.
Alabama's competition between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack isn't quite the same as Tennessee. Georgia Tech's Alberto Mendoza, the younger brother of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, is an interesting matchup in Week 2.
Can Josh Elander get Tennessee baseball to Omaha, eventually?
The podcast transitions to Tennessee baseball, which has produced more optimism with a late-season surge.
The Vols have a top 30 RPI, a Top 25 ranking and a 12-10 record in Quad 1 games. That includes series wins over projected NCAA regional hosts Texas, Alabama and Mississippi State.
Adams said UT's pitching staff is shaky, but he doesn't blame Elander for that weakness. Sparks assigns some responsibility on Elander for mismanaging the bullpen, especially early in the season.
They agree that Elander is the right coach to eventually get Tennessee back to College World Series. He's grown as a head coach in his first season in that role.
Adams said Elander has already had a successful season because UT will make the NCAA tournament. Sparks said fans will determine if the season if a pass or fail based on how deep the Vols go in the postseason.
To hear that full conversation, listen to the podcast.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Faizon Brandon vs George MacIntyre, premature talk in Tennessee QB competition
Continue reading...
