Did Danny White hire a Quarterback Whisperer in 2021? Tennessee Football has had a wealth of quarterback talent come through the program over the years headed up by the likes of Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler, Hendon Hooker and a long list of talented signal callers. But has anyone seen anything close to the treasure trove of elite quarterbacks that Tennessee has on campus and lined up on the 2025 and 2026 committed lists?
You can feel the excitement within the fan base for the 2024 season for many reasons but particularly because former 5-star and National Player of the Year Nico Iamaleava will be starting at quarterback. Nico has flashed moments of brilliance in his limited playing time to date, primarily with his only start in the Citrus Bowl.
He has shown he not only has the physical talent with both throwing accuracy and running ability but also has the football IQ to make solid decisions in a timely manner. The sky appears to be the limit for Iamaleava this fall with talent stacked up at wide receiver and tight end along with a talented supporting cast at the other offensive positions.
Behind Iamaleava is former consensus 4-star Jake Merklinger. The freshman, by all reports, had a good spring camp and is off to a good start in fall camp. He is in a battle with Gaston Moore, a transfer from UCF, who Heupel appears to have complete trust in to run the Tennessee offense. Ultimately expect to see both Merklinger and Moore this fall backing up Iamaleava with Merklinger getting some valuable playing time in advance of the Tennessee quarterback room getting more crowded in 2025.
2025 is when 5-star instate commitment George MacIntyre will show up. MacIntyre had a stellar prep career at powerhouse Brentwood Academy where he turned down SEC programs like Alabama and LSU to commit to the Vols.
Clearly Tennessee will need to hold onto MacIntyre until signing day in December but he appears solid in his commitment. Additionally, MacIntyre was also an elite basketball player who received D1 offers to play college basketball. Fortunately for Tennessee, he wanted to play for the Vols in football.
And now with the exciting weekend recruiting news, Tennessee has received a commitment from the overall top ranked 2026 recruit and 5-star quarterback Faizon Brandon. Can things possibly get better for Tennessee with quarterback recruiting?
I admittedly get a little on edge with a commitment from an elite recruit that must wait almost 18 months to sign. All we fans can do is trust Faizon, Heupel and the Tennessee staff to keep the relationship strong between now and and 2025 December Signing Day. Tennessee once again beat out SEC heavyweights Alabama and LSU for Brandon’s commitment.
So, Heupel and staff have done a brilliant job with recruiting elite talent at the quarterback position. We fans have a reason to be excited at where things stand at the ultra important position of quarterback and anxiously await more commitments from elite talent at other positions for Tennessee. Is Heupel a Quarterback Whisperer? Based on recruiting, it certainly appears that may just be the case.
