Will Tennessee Football Go To The Portal For a QB?

Will the Tennessee Volunteers pickup a transfer portal gunslinger?

Nov 22, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Vols have been one of the many teams that hzve been tied to starting a new QB next season, as it remains unknown if Joey Aguilar and Diego Pavia will win their court case for JUCO seasons not to count against eligibility. It remains in question if the Vols will be able to keep him, but the majority of fans have already started to rule this option out.

This leaves the Vols four options at the quarterback position.

The Options for Tennessee Football

Vols QB commit George MacIntyre with Vols TE commit DaSaahn Brame | George MacIntyre

The first option is starting George MacIntyre. MacIntyre will be entering his redshirt freshman season, and is someone who made the most of the games that he played in. MacIntyre has quickly become a top-end gunslinger and will be viewed as someone who can get the ball downfield. He hasn't seen many snaps at this point, which remains a question mark.

The second option is to start Jake Merklinger. Merklinger was the no. 2 for the Vols this season, but unlike MacIntyre, he did see more reps, and didn't impress many Tennessee fans. While anything can happen, the Redshirt-Sophomore will be a name to watch for, as he is currently the veteran of the group.

The third option is going to Faizon Brandon. Brandon recently signed with the Vols back on December 3rd, and has been committed to the program for over a year. He was rated as the No. 1 player in the class before an injury caused him to drop from one to two. The last time Heupel started a true freshman was the bowl game two seasons ago when Nico Iamaleava started in place of Joe Milton, who opted out.

The final option is what many have valued as the more likely option. That option being to get a transfer portal QB. While there are many names fans have hopes for it is safe to say that this transfer QB class is about as active as ever. Guys like DJ Lagway, Aidan Chiles, and of course, the no. 1 ranked transfer QB Brendan Sorsby have already declared that they are entering the transfer portal. This could be the likely option for the Vols, as it is well known that Heupel has a thing for going with older QBs, especilly if they are comparable in talent.

This will be a developing story that will add more and more details as the portal season officially begins.

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