Tennessee sits just weeks away from its home opener against Furman. The game will serve as preparation before the Volunteers travel to face Georgia Tech.
The team hasn’t named a starting quarterback between five-star freshman Faizon Brandon and five-star redshirt freshman George McIntyre.
The two quarterbacks have battled throughout the offseason, with both showing flashes while 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.”
Tennessee held a scrimmage inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday morning. Heupel made it clear both quarterbacks performed well afterward.
Communication issues need cleanup, though.
“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 didn’t announce a decision on who’ll start. One Vols insider who attended the scrimmage believes there was a clear winner.
Vols insider Joey Peterson believes Brandon will start 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.
Both quarterbacks are giving everything to win the starting job. Brandon’s potential is difficult to overlook, though.
The five-star true freshman possesses physical tools that could allow him to thrive in Tennessee’s offense.
Much conversation surrounding Brandon has centered on his willingness to let the ball fly. In a Josh Heupel offense, quarterbacks can’t afford to shy away from taking shots down the field.
It could be another week or two before Tennessee officially announces its starting quarterback. For now, Brandon appears to have emerged as the favorite to take the first snap against Furman.
