QB competition, revamped defense in spotlight for Tennessee during Orange and White spring game

Plenty of questions will remain for Tennessee after Saturday's spring game as coach Josh Heupel enters a critical season

When Tennessee kicks off its 2026 Orange and White game on Saturday, it will offer some insight into what is a murky outlook for the Volunteers this year. Between a quarterback battle and a revamped defense, there is still much to sort out ahead of what should be a pivotal season for Josh Heupel in Knoxville.

This year's Orange and White game won't be televised, so the only people who will get the full picture will be those in attendance at Neyland Stadium. That won't stop the rest of us from analyzing every highlight posted to social media or every nugget of commentary dropped by the media.

That's only natural when a program has as many questions as Tennessee. First and foremost, who will be the starting quarterback in Week 1? Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon are in a heated battle, and Heupel hasn't tipped his hand about which way he's leaning.

Defensively, Heupel fired Tim Banks after a disappointing 2025 season and ponied up to bring in Jim Knowles and a host of new assistants. Knowles also brought some impact transfers from Penn State, and the Volunteers added a couple of key contributors from the portal to make up for some notable losses. How will that unit look after a few weeks of working together?

Not every question will be answered by a glorified scrimmage on Rocky Top, but the spring game should provide some insight into what to expect from this Vols team in 2026.

Who is winning the QB battle?

One thing that will be watched closely is which quarterback gets the most work with the first-team offense -- if those reps aren't split equally.

Entering spring practice, MacIntyre was the presumptive favorite because of his familiarity with Heupel's offensive scheme. A four-star recruit in the 2025 signing class, MacIntyre saw very limited action while spending most of his time buried behind Joey Aguilar and Jake Merklinger on the depth chart.

Still, MacIntyre learned the playbook, and he has the physical tools to be a good player at the college level. The 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman has put on a little weight, now up to 201 pounds, and he has a good arm. MacIntyre turned the ball over quite a bit in high school, so that will be something worth watching on Saturday.

Based solely on pedigree, Brandon is the more exciting prospect. A five-star recruit and the No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 signing class, per 247Sports, Brandon posted a 35-1 record in high school while leading his team to back-to-back state championships. The biggest key for Brandon will be how comfortable he looks running a new offense against much tougher opposition at the college level.

There is undoubtedly more work for Brandon to do in that area, but Heupel seems pleased with his progress so far.

"For a true freshman getting here in January, seven weeks of offseason, what we did, and then hitting the ground in spring ball, through today, he's been really sound in what he's done -- I think [in] the pass game, certainly," Heupel said about Brandon after Tennessee's final closed scrimmage. "There's a lot on our quarterbacks in the run game, too, and that's an area that, at times, can be the hardest part for our quarterbacks. But he's continued to progress in that.

"There's still a lot left for him and everybody in that room for us to be what we need to. But, as a true freshman, certainly pleased with what he's done up until this point."

It's important to remember that spring game performances must be taken with a grain of salt. At this time last year, MacIntyre was getting rave reviews after lighting up the third-string defense for most of the afternoon. Meanwhile, there was very little buzz about Aguilar, who finished third in the SEC with 3,565 passing yards.

Even with that grain of salt, this spring game will be one more data point Heupel can use in determining his Week 1 starter. That decision will be a big one because -- regardless of who wins the job -- the Vols may be relying on him for at least the next two seasons. In today's college football landscape, it also means whoever loses the job could look toward greener pastures.

How sharp is Knowles' defense?

Less than one year after Banks was named as a Broyles Award finalist, he was fired due to a major regression from the Vols' defense in 2025. On the defensive line, Dominic Bailey, Tyre West, Joshua Josephs and Caleb Herring are all gone. They combined for 27 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks last year. In the secondary, star cornerback Colton Hood may be a first-round NFL Draft pick, and the mercurial but skilled Boo Carter is now at Colorado.

Tennessee did about as well as could be expected at replacing Banks and plugging those personnel holes. Knowles is one of the most well-respected defensive coordinators in college football, and he helped Ohio State win a national championship in 2024. Coming down from Penn State, Knowles brought several assistants, as well as players who could make an immediate impact.

Linebacker Amare Campbell should be an anchor in the middle of the defense, Dejuan Lane provides much-needed depth at defensive back, and Chaz Coleman has immense upside as a pass rusher. The Vols complemented those pieces by adding Michigan transfers and brothers TJ and Tevis Metcalf, along with nickel Qua Moss and speedy cornerback Kayin Lee.

Throw in promising young players already on the roster -- like linebacker Jadon Perlotte and defensive lineman Ethan Utley -- and there is a lot to like on the defense.

Acquiring talent and putting it all together in a cohesive manner are two very different things, and the latter will be the real challenge for Knowles. In his tenures at Oklahoma State and Ohio State, Knowles' defenses experienced growing pains in Year 1 before making big leaps forward.

Taking into account that no one will be going all out in a spring game, this will be the first chance for a large audience to see the new Tennessee defense in action. With a totally new scheme and new faces at various positions, how quickly the unit gels could determine whether the Vols sink or swim, especially because the offense will be breaking in a new quarterback while navigating a nine-game SEC schedule.