Coach Josh Heupel indicated that Tennessee football plans to add a quarterback from the transfer portal after the Music City Bowl unless Joey Aguilar gains an extra season of eligibility through the courts.
Heupel may not have a choice if only two scholarship quarterbacks are on the 2026 roster.
Advertisement
“Unless we can go sign Philip Rivers to a free agent contract,” Heupel said on Dec. 18, joking about the 44-year-old NFL quarterback who recently came out of retirement. “There’s been years where we’ve had that happen, where you’ve had to play a third (quarterback). So you don’t want to do that, but it’s happened before.”
The question is whether the Vols will look for an established starter in the portal or a less-proven option who can compete with youngsters George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon for the 2026 starting job. Heupel didn’t reveal his approach on that matter.
Heupel tried to navigate the delicate and polarizing topic of Tennessee’s 2026 quarterback situation throughout his final press conference before a brief Christmas break.
No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) plays Illinois (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Nashville. The Vols are practicing on campus, and they’ll transition to the bowl site on Dec. 26.
Advertisement
But with the transfer portal opening Jan. 2, many of the questions that Heupel faced were about his quarterback plans for the 2026 season.
“There’s moving pieces,” Heupel said. “As we finish up (the bowl) and enter into the portal, with everything that’s going on with Joey and those pieces, we’ll look to put (quarterback) in a position to help us go and compete for a championship.”
Why Tennessee must add a quarterback from transfer portal
Heupel acknowledged that UT must add a third quarterback, regardless of that player’s potential to start immediately.
Aguilar, the 2025 starter, has exhausted his eligibility unless there’s movement in the Diego Pavia lawsuit challenging the NCAA eligibility rules for former junior college players. Backup Jake Merklinger plans to enter the transfer portal.
Advertisement
“Jake made a choice that he felt like was right for him, and we support him,” Heupel said. “Jake has been a great teammate while he has been here and grown and competed.”
That leaves only MacIntyre and Brandon on the projected 2026 depth chart. The Vols need at least three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, so they’ll likely add one from the portal unless Aguilar’s situation changes. Heupel said he’ll be transparent with MacIntyre and Brandon about the quarterback plans once they’re settled.
“You have to be honest in today’s landscape so that your players trust you on a consistent basis,” Heupel said. “Ultimately, information is readily available to everybody too. Being transparent and open in those lines of communication is really important.”
Is Tennessee still hoping that Joey Aguilar returns?
There’s still a glimmer of hope that Aguilar could get an extra season of eligibility. But there’s no definitive end to the Pavia lawsuit, and UT can’t afford to wait for long.
Advertisement
Heupel said he hasn’t set a deadline to give up hope on Aguilar returning. But rest assured, UT has prepared to move on.
UT’s football coaches and scouting staff are evaluating quarterbacks who intend to enter the portal, and there will plenty of high-priced options. And those football staffers are working with UT’s NIL operations office and third-party NIL backers to manage the budget.
After all, UT also has multiple portal needs on defense to give new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles the players he needs to succeed.
What Josh Heupel said about George MacIntyre
MacIntyre will serve as Aguilar’s backup in the Music City Bowl after Merklinger opted out to head to the portal. Heupel said the young quarterback continues to develop.
Advertisement
“(MacIntyre has displayed) continued growth and understanding, as simple as receiving a signal and being able to communicate,” Heupel said. “His command of what we’re doing (and) decision making (has improved). He’s had good bowl preparation here as well.”
Tennessee’s interest in the transfer market doesn’t disparage the value of MacIntyre and Brandon. Coaches believe they both have the potential to start early in their career. But there’s no guarantee that they’ll be ready for that role immediately in 2026, which creates a difficult decision.
MacIntyre, a former Brentwood Academy standout, was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class. He has played only two games as a freshman, completing 7 of 9 passes for 69 yards.
Brandon was a five-star signee and ranked the No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 class by 247Sports Composite. But he hasn’t played in college yet. He will enroll in January and participate in spring practice.
Advertisement
Heupel admits difficulty over quarterback question
Under the new college football calendar, there is only one portal window. So UT won’t get a second chance in the spring to add a transfer quarterback if MacIntyre and Brandon aren’t ready to start.
But if UT adds a transfer quarterback, especially one with multiple years of eligibility, it could create conflict among the returning quarterbacks.
Heupel acknowledged the stress of that situation.
“It’s really hard. December used to be one of the best months inside of college football. I wouldn’t call it that at this current state,” Heupel said. “You’re navigating a lot of different pieces all at one time. This is still the greatest game that there is. It’s just different than it used to be.
Advertisement
“But I’m not going to sit here and complain about it. It is what it is.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Josh Heupel said about Tennessee football QB transfer portal search
