Tennessee sophomore quarterback George MacIntyre is expected to make his first career start when the No. 15 Volunteers take on Arkansas on Saturday, Oct 10, in Fayetteville. The decision comes after MacIntyre replaced Faizon Brandon during Tennessee's 24-14 win over Auburn.

Brandon opened the season as the Vols starting quarterback after winning the preseason competition over MacIntyre, a former four-star recruit and Tennessee's No. 1-ranked recruit in his class. The true freshman started each of the Volunteers' first five games, but his performance against the Tigers resulted in a second-quarter change.

Brandon completed 3 of 8 passes for zero yards and an interception before being pulled with 3:42 remaining in the first half. He also had minus-9 rushing yards. MacIntyre entered the game with Tennessee backed up at its own 3-yard line and immediately provided more consistency, completing his first five passes.

He ultimately finished 8-of-10 passing for 86 yards without a touchdown or interception. One of his biggest plays came early in the third quarter when he connected with Mike Matthews for a 42-yard gain, the Vols' longest pass play since the season opener.

MacIntyre's efficiency helped open up the ground attack, with DeSean Bishop finishing with a career-best 220 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries. Tennessee won despite throwing for fewer than 100 yards for the first time since 2017.

Through four appearances this season, MacIntyre has completed 14 of 20 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He completed 5 of 7 attempts for 56 yards and a touchdown versus Furman, went 1-for-3 for six yards against Texas and did not attempt a pass vs. Kennesaw State.

It remains unclear how healthy Brandon is as he deals with a lingering shoulder injury suffered late in the Volunteers' 20-17 loss to the No. 1 Longhorns on Sept. 26. Brandon was sacked an astonishing 10 times and left the game after appearing to injure his right shoulder, though he later returned. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel acknowledged Monday that Brandon had been dealing with an injury that limited his practice time.

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Brandon has completed 61 of 101 passes for 697 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception this season. He has also rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns and has been sacked 16 times.

The Vols enter the matchup against the Razorbacks at 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play. Arkansas is 2-3 and 0-2 in conference play after a 34-7 loss to Texas A&M. The Razorbacks lost 13 straight SEC games dating to 2024.

The game is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Tennessee won last year's meeting 34-31 in Knoxville but lost 19-14 at Arkansas on Oct. 5, 2024.