Updated Dec. 29, 2025, 3:12 p.m. ET
- Joey Aguilar will start at quarterback for Tennessee in the Music City Bowl against Illinois.
- Freshman George MacIntyre will serve as the backup and is not expected to play unless the game is a blowout or Aguilar is injured.
- Coaches are using bowl practices to prepare MacIntyre for a potential competition in the spring.
NASHVILLE – Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel said there’s no predetermined plan for quarterback George MacIntyre to play against Illinois in the Music City Bowl.
Joey Aguilar will remain the starter in what’s likely his final UT game. MacIntyre, a freshman and former Brentwood Academy four-star standout, will serve as the backup.
“We’ll kind of see how the game unfolds and what the identity of the game is. There’s nothing where we plan on putting (MacIntyre) in on the second series or anything like that,” Heupel said on Dec. 29 at the bowl press conference at Opryland Hotel.
That sounds like MacIntyre will only play if the game turns into a blowout or Aguilar suffers an injury. Offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Joey Halzle also seemed to suggest that MacIntyre would only play in those circumstances.
“But I feel comfortable that if (MacIntyre) has to go into the game, he’ll go play well,” Halzle said.
No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) plays Illinois (8-4) on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium.
Why Joey Aguilar will play over George MacIntyre
Heupel has said throughout bowl practice that Aguilar would start.
On paper, that’s a no-brainer, especially if Tennessee’s top priority is winning the game rather than giving playing time to young players.
Aguilar led the SEC with 3,444 passing yards during the regular season while guiding the highest scoring offense (40.8 ppg) in the league. MacIntyre has attempted only nine passes and played sparingly in two games.
But there’s a segment of the UT fan base that wants to see MacIntyre play, hoping that he’s got a shot to start in 2026.
There’s precedent for UT starting a freshman quarterback over a veteran. In 2023, Nico Iamaleava made his first career start in the Citrus Bowl while Joe Milton turned his attention to the NFL draft.
But there’s a distinct difference. There was almost no gap between Milton and Iamaleava, and some thought the freshman should’ve started earlier in the 2023 season. However, the perceived gap between Aguilar and MacIntyre is much wider.
Aguilar has exhausted his eligibility unless a lawsuit challenging the NCAA eligibility rules involving former junior college players gives him an additional college season.
Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia filed the suit in federal court, and Aguilar was among several players who joined it. But if there’s no resolution before the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, UT likely must move on from Aguilar to other options.
Coaches say George MacIntyre is preparing for spring practice
On Dec. 17, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger announced that he plans to enter the transfer portal. He served as Aguilar’s backup during the regular season.
But UT wasn’t surprised by that decision, and Halzle said MacIntyre was getting reps as the backup quarterback earlier in bowl practices.
“George has done a great job. When we first got to bowl prep, he was taking (backup) reps,” Halzle said. “So this wasn’t just thrown on him out of nowhere. We knew that we needed to take December and use it as a new spring ball for him, so he could get started on those reps.”
In January, MacIntyre will be joined by five-star signee Faizon Brandon. But considering their inexperience, Tennessee likely will add a quarterback from the portal.
How would MacIntyre handle that? After all, in this era of massive player movement, there’s always a possibility of reserve players considering the portal. But Halzle sounded reassured that MacIntyre would remain with the Vols and compete for the starting job in spring practice.
“(MacIntyre) is like, ‘Hey, I’m a redshirt guy, but now I’m pushing to be a guy competing for playing time in the future.’“ Halzle said. “So he’s done a great job handling it. He’s a really competitive kid, really smart kid. He’s mature beyond his years.
“He handled it the way I expected him to – mature, business-like. And I’m really happy with where he is right now.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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