Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel joked that he had named a starting quarterback at the end of the team’s intrasquad scrimmage in Neyland Stadium, which was closed to fans and media on Aug. 15.
“I already named him out there. You guys didn’t pay attention,” Heupel said to reporters. “No, I’m kidding.”
Heupel didn’t have to clarify the joke. It would be surprising if he decided on a quarterback this early in preseason practice.
Granted, Heupel knows which quarterback has the edge so far. But it appears too close to call between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and five-star freshman Faizon Brandon.
“I want to go watch the tape,” Heupel said. “There’s a lot to learn for everybody, and certainly in the quarterback room too.”
Heupel isn’t tipping his hand. But his comments about the quarterbacks, as well as other context from preseason practice, reveal key factors in the ongoing competition.
Neither quarterback has been good enough to win the job
Heupel said MacIntyre and Brandon have improved since spring and the start of preseason practice. He likes their progress and trajectory.
But Heupel also acknowledged that they’ve been inconsistent, which is predictable for inexperienced quarterbacks. MacIntyre played 18 snaps last season. Brandon enrolled in January.
“I like the growth from both of those guys. They’ve had really positive days (and) positive plays,” 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 opens the season at home against Furman on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+/ESPN+). MacIntyre or Brandon may run away with the job before then, but it’s more likely that the starter will have only a slight edge when the season arrives.
Faizon Brandon’s running ability isn’t on full display
Heupel said more than half of the scrimmage involved live tackling and “pads were popping.” But quarterbacks wear red jerseys and don’t take contact.
If a pass rusher is close to a sack, the play is blown dead. If a quarterback run is called, defenders avoid hitting the ball-carrier.
Brandon is a talented runner, but that’s not on full display in scrimmages. MacIntyre has mobility to extend pass plays, but he lacks the open-field burst and elusiveness of Brandon.
When Heupel and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle review the film, they must consider how many extra rushing yards Brandon would’ve gained compared to MacIntyre in a live game.
It’s not a deciding factor, but it matters in a close competition.
Jim Knowles isn’t making it easy on quarterbacks
Heupel’s mantra is that players shouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He said the quarterbacks haven’t had that problem, which is encouraging.
Instead, Heupel indicated that their errors have been a result of raising the stakes. They’ve gone deeper into the playbook, and new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has challenged them with exotic looks.
“(With) the multiple looks that we see from our defense, (adding more from) our drop back and play action (plays), in our run games, our (run-pass option) game, they’ve continued to take a lot of steps and are doing some really good things in the decision-making process,” Heupel said.
Talented wide receivers will help the eventual starter
Wide receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley return. But wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope said he’s had a tough time deciding on a third starter because none have been consistent enough.
Make no mistake, the talent of that group also adds to the difficulty. Sophomore Radarious Jackson, sophomore Travis Smith and five-star freshman TK Keys have flashed top-end talent along with typical hiccups of young players.
Sophomore Joakim Dodson and freshman Tyreek King, a former Knox Catholic standout, also showed play-making ability in the scrimmage. They are Staley’s backups at slot receiver.
That’s why accuracy and progressions in the passing game matter so much in the quarterback competition. Whether MacIntyre or Brandon win the job, they’ll have weapons at their disposal if they can complete high-percentage passes.
Why Josh Heupel likes his running back options
There’s a similar situation in the rushing offense. All-SEC running back DeSean Bishop didn’t play much in the scrimmage because coaches are eyeing the competition behind him.
Heupel is noticeably excited about his running backs: “That room collectively as a group is playing really good football right now.”
Tulane transfer Javin Gordon is a powerful, quick-cutting, 212-pound back not too different from Bishop. He rushed for 516 yards and five TDs as a freshman on the Green Wave’s College Football Playoff team last season.
Sophomore Daune Morris has excited coaches with his breakaway speed as a big-play threat.
Pair those running backs with an offensive line that returns talent and experience, and the ground game should be an asset for the starting quarterback.
However, Heupel hasn’t named his starting quarterback yet. UT’s second intrasquad scrimmage is set for Aug. 22, when the competition could gain clarity.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Faizon Brandon, George MacIntyre in tight QB race after Tennessee football scrimmage