Tennessee Volunteers name new starting QB for Arkansas game

The Tennessee Volunteers appear to be pressing pause on the Faizon Brandon experiment.

After starting the first five games of his career, Brandon, a 5-star QB who was the No. 3 player in the 2026 class, is being benched ahead of the Volunteers‘ game on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks. In his stead, Tennessee will reportedly start sophomore George MacIntyre.

This change comes after Brandon was benched last week in the first half against the Auburn Tigers, with the offense struggling to move the ball. The move followed Brandon completing just three of his first eight passes for zero yards and one interception.

MacIntyre came in the game and went 8-for-10 for 86 yards, leading the Volunteers to a victory.

So far in his career, Brandon has shown promise at times, completing 60.4% of his passes for 801 yards, seven TDs, and one interception. However, the offense has been stagnant at times, and he has struggled in big games, such as a loss to the Texas Longhorns earlier this year.

This will be a big spot for MacIntyre, who attempted just seven passes in 2025 as a freshman and has thrown for 29 yards and one touchdown in his career at Tennessee. The Volunteers are favored over Arkansas by 13.5 points.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Tennessee Volunteers name new starting QB for Arkansas game