Tennessee's George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon, Ryan Staub Left Off Major List

The Tennessee Volunteers are looking for their next great quarterback, as they are amid a huge position battle, as it is a three-way race between three solid quarterbacks.

One of the quarterbacks is George MacIntyre, who is entering his second season with the program and has been one of the more likely answers at the quarterback position. He was a backup to Joey Aguilar last season, and he is one of the players with the best arms in the country. There have been many questions about MacIntyre, but similar to the others, answers are expected to be provided through their production in the season rather than the offseason.

Another quarterback is Faizon Brandon. Brandon is entering his true freshman season with the Vols, as he is the expected future of the Vols program. He is a former No. 1 player in the country and a long-time Tennessee commit who now has his opportunity to make a name for himself when slinging the ball around. He is one of the fan favorites and one of the likely options for the Vols, as he may be younger, but many believe he is the most talented quarterback on the roster when it comes to his measurements and his dual-threat ability.

The third quarterback is a transfer portal addition that the Vols made, as they brought in Ryan Staub from the Colorado program. Staub was one of the three names who started for the Buffaloes last season, and many would say he was the most underwhelming of the group. He was the best in the spring game, which has surged him back into this conversation, but he is the least likely to land the starting job among the players who have the chance to win the job.

Even with the Vols having three solid quarterback options, they still didn't see their name on a major list, which can be viewed as both concerning and unreasonable. All three of the quarterbacks were listed outside of the CBSSports top 50 quarterbacks in the nation. While it makes sense that they have been unproven, the Vols will likely have a top 50 quarterback this season due to an offensive scheme, production, and talent.

CBS Sports ranking the top 50 QB’s in college football this upcoming season.

Thoughts🤔 pic.twitter.com/5VqPzgYwbQ
— College Football Alerts  (@CFBAlerts_) May 4, 2026

This is the first time since Josh Heupel has been at Tennessee that one of his quarterbacks has not been considered a top 50 quarterback in the nation. This could be for many reasons, but it seems that the likely reasoning is due to the fact that there will be a lack of prior experience starting in the SEC, as well as no starter being named at this moment.

Add us as a preferred source on Google