Adding the No. 1 quarterback for 2026 on Saturday in Faizon Brandon capped off an impressive week of stories for Tennessee Football. Within that week alone, the Vols did more than enough to prove that Josh Heupel has officially turned them into Quarterback-U.
Let’s start with the fact that early in the week, reports came out that former Vol Joe Milton III was outplaying New England Patriots first-round NFL Draft pick Drake Maye in training camp. Milton is now garnering serious consideration to start for the franchise.
Around that same time, Tennessee Football trotted out Nico Iamaleava as they began fall camp. Iamaleava is the prized recruit of Heupel to this point in his tenure with UT, and he’s beginning his first preseason as the full-time starter for a program expected to turn him into a superstar.
Milton, Iamaleava and Brandon alone are a selling point for this program. However, that doesn’t tell the full story. Hendon Hooker is still the Detroit Lions’ backup quarterback, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson says he’s starting to see the signal-caller’s talent “come to life.”
Then there’s George MacIntyre, the in-state commitment in the Vols’ 2025 recruiting class. MacIntyre is as much or more of a superstar than Brandon is for 2026. He’s the heir apparent to Iamaleava at the moment, and if Heupel manages this right, he could have Iamaleava, MacIntyre and Brandon all star.
By 2028, you could see five quarterbacks from the Vols starting in the NFL. That doesn’t even include Tayven Jackson, who transferred to the Indiana Hoosiers and should become a star. It also doesn’t include Jake Merklinger, who is on the roster now but will likely transfer. Both are just the odd men out in a stacked class.
Simply put, Heupel has made UT a destination for signal-callers.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be issues when it comes to holding this title, though. Heupel does not develop quarterbacks well for the NFL. He insists on a quick drop-back and that quarterbacks only see one side of the field. The offense is extremely easy to pick up in a way it wouldn’t be in the pros.
Assuming coaches can develop quarterbacks from his system at the next level, though, Heupel could take Lincoln Riley’s place as the quarterback whisperer. His early tenure with Tennessee Football may be just the beginning. Wait until you see what this program produced in a decade.
