Congratulations to redshirt freshman George MacIntyre on being the next first blue-chip recruit to pan out in the Josh Heupel era on Rocky Top. Obviously, I’m kidding, but I’m kind of, ugh, well, not kidding, too.
Let me explain.
Tennessee has had a top-10 scoring offense nationally in three of Heupel’s five seasons in Knoxville. In 2021, 2022, and 2025, the Vols finished 7th, 1st, and 6th, respectively. Those offenses were led by two quarterbacks the fans were least excited about when they arrived on campus, Hendon Hooker and Joey Aguilar. In 2021, the Vol fan excitement was centered around Joe Milton. In 2023, the national folks’ excitement was centered around Milton again. In 2024, both the Vol fan and national folks’ excitement was centered around Nico Iamaleava.
Not a soul could have foreseen who has worked at Tennessee under Heupel thus far and who has not. Hooker even predicted his former teammate would win the Heisman in 2023. After those first couple of starts by Iamaleava, the former five-star player looked like a quarterback who could have legitimately been in that discussion, too, to begin 2024. For different reasons, it did not work out for either Milton or Iamaleava at Tennessee on the field in Heupel’s offense.
It was easy to get excited about Joe and Nico. Both had all the arm talent in the world to be special at Tennessee. Fans did not view Hooker and Aguilar the same way when they arrived on campus. Heck, the former was not even a transfer portal addition by Heupel. Hooker and Heupel just ended up being a perfect pairing. Aguilar arrived in late May of 2025 and proceeded to lead the SEC in passing yards per game. He battled Kirby Smart and Georgia better than any prior Heupel quarterback had previously by a wide margin. Hooker would have likely been a Heisman finalist had he not gotten injured in that South Carolina ballgame. Hooker and Aguilar will be loved and adored by Vol Nation for many years to come, and rightfully so. But you can’t forget the majority sentiment towards them before the 2021 and 2025 seasons.
Finding the right quarterback is hard. Eventually, though, Heupel is going to hit on one of these blue-chip quarterbacks. With the continual fan worry regarding MacIntyre’s weight, there is a lot of trepidation about rolling with the one-time five-star recruit in 2026. There is some cause for concern because MacIntyre did not garner many in-game reps this past fall. There is some additional cause for concern about how young and inexperienced the position room is right now, with five-star true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon entering the fold.
Of course, Aguilar could also still get granted another season of eligibility next month, and this is all for nothing. However, let’s operate under the assumption that Aguilar is not coming back for a second season on Rocky Top. Sure, Tennessee added former Colorado junior quarterback Ryan Staub to the room as a veteran depth piece. However, his veteran presence in that room and for MacIntyre and Brandon is not the same as it was with Gaston Moore and Iamaleava in 2024. Moore played for this staff for years and knew the offense backwards and forwards. If Aguilar isn’t back, the quarterback room hasn’t looked this shaky from the outside since 2021.
Which is why I wonder if it’s a good thing for MacIntyre. With Iamaleava, it felt like universal excitement, particularly coming off that performance against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. Folks had waited a long time to see him be The Guy at Tennessee. With MacIntyre, fans are a lot more nervous about taking the young blue-chip quarterback path once again. It’s a very different feeling rolling with MacIntyre rather than a veteran transfer quarterback who has guided his team to the College Football Playoff, like Sam Leavitt. Especially the year that the SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule. It’s a little scary for fans, that’s for sure. I get it.
But things were a little scary before this season, too, and the Vols were a handful of plays away from winning nine or ten games again. The offense made its way back into the top 10 in scoring, where it belonged under Heupel. It’s offseasons like this one where the Football Gods have been most kind to Heupel and his quarterbacks. We weren’t sure about Hooker and Aguilar, just like we aren’t sure about MacIntyre. Oddly enough, that might be my favorite reason to bet on him next season.