Tennessee will turn to quarterback George MacIntyre to make his first career start against Arkansas on Saturday, ESPN and On3 reported Tuesday.
MacIntyre will take over for Faizon Brandon, who is dealing with a shoulder injury he sustained Sept. 26 against No. 1 Texas.
Brandon returned to that game, which the Vols narrowly lost 20-17. But after he began Tennessee’s most recent game against Auburn 3-for-8 passing for 0 yards and an interception, he was benched in favor of MacIntyre, who completed 8 of 10 passes for 86 yards.
“Ultimately just everybody together, we weren’t playing our best football early. But (Brandon is) a competitor,” Volunteers coach Josh Heupel said Monday, one day before the reported quarterback switch. “He’s extremely tough. He’s a winner. And he’ll continue to bounce back from what he was dealing with.”
Heupel again alluded to Brandon’s injury when asked how he handled being benched during the Auburn game.
“He was a good teammate during the course of the football game,” Heupel said. “Disappointed in that moment, but also, I think he realized he wasn’t playing at his best in major part because of what he was dealing with physically from the week before.”
The Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) are ranked No. 15 nationally despite the quarterback woes. DeSean Bishop racked up 220 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries in a 24-14 win over Auburn.
In four appearances this season, MacIntyre has completed 14 of 20 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. He is a sophomore and Tennessee native who was a four-star recruit coming out of high school.
