Vols insider points finger to clear favorite for QB1 between Faizon Brandon, George McIntyre originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tennessee Volunteers are just a few Saturdays away from their home opener against the Furman Paladins. It will serve as a tune-up game before Tennessee travels to face Georgia Tech the following Saturday.
Still, the Volunteers have yet to name a starting quarterback between five-star freshman Faizon Brandon and five-star redshirt freshman George McIntyre. The two quarterbacks have been battling throughout the offseason, with both showing flashes while also working through their respective flaws.
“I like the growth from both of those guys. They've had really positive days (and) positive plays,” Josh Heupel said. “They've all had one that they'd probably do a little bit different. The fundamentals and technique continue to get better (and) the understanding of what we're doing. (I) just want to see them continue to grow over the next couple of weeks.”
The Volunteers held a scrimmage inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday morning. Afterward, Heupel made it clear that both quarterbacks performed well, though there were some communication issues that need to be cleaned up.
“Today, couple communication, just handling things early in the scrimmage, that they can improve upon. … I thought they settled in as the scrimmage went on and made some plays down the field,” Heupel told the media.
The Tennessee head coach did not announce a decision on who will start, but one Vols insider who attended the scrimmage believes there was a clear winner. Vols insider Joey Peterson believes Brandon will be the starter against Furman in the season opener.
“You knew there wasn’t going to be a QB decision today. But you also knew that one guy was going to come out of this scrimmage with the momentum & clear edge in the battle. And right now, everything coming out of Knoxville is pointing to Faizon Brandon as that guy,” Peterson posted.
There is no doubt that both quarterbacks are giving everything they have to win the starting job, but Brandon's potential is difficult to overlook. The five-star true freshman possesses an impressive collection of physical tools that could allow him to thrive in Tennessee's offense.
Much of the conversation surrounding Brandon has centered on his willingness to let the ball fly. In a Josh Heupel offense, a quarterback cannot afford to shy away from taking shots down the field.
It could still be another week or two before Tennessee officially announces its starting quarterback. For now, though, Brandon appears to have emerged as the favorite to take the first snap against Furman.