George MacIntyre? Faizon Brandon? Ryan Staub? Judge for yourself in Orange & White Game.
Tennessee football’s reconstructed 2026 roster will make its live debut in front of Vols fans on Saturday in the annual Orange and White Spring Game at Neyland Stadium.
With kickoff slated for 2 p.m. ET, the Volunteers, will take the field on Saturday, debuting 45 new players, 21 of whom are transfer players, in an intrasquad contest that won't be televised to the outside world.
All eyes are sure to be focused on the play of Tennessee’s quarterbacks in this game, as a starter among the three candidates has yet to be named for the 2026 season.
Although coach Josh Heupel made it clear in March that he would not name an official starter during the spring practice period, Saturday’s contest will undoubtedly be used as a reference point for the ultimate decision in the coming months.
The Orange & White Game will serve as crucial experience to QBs George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon and Ryan Staub in their fight for the top spot.
MacIntyre, a redshirt freshman, is the only of three combatants with prior experience at Tennessee, while Brandon is a true freshman and Staub joined the fight as a transfer from Colorado.
Helping their signal callers to set the pace throughout this game, look for experienced Volunteer wideouts, Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews to strut their stuff on Saturday.
Fighting their own battle to assume the top wide receiver position in the 2026 offense, Staley and Matthews come off productive 2025 seasons as key contributors in one of the nation’s top 10 passing units.
Staley, who was named the SEC Freshman of the Year last season after leading the team with 68 receptions, looks to build on an 837-yard, 6 touchdown redshirt freshman campaign while Matthews, who went for 813 yards and four touchdowns last year, is now poised to play a larger role as a veteran receiver for the Vols.
With practiced and capable receivers leading the way on Saturday, each competing QB should have ample opportunity to show they belong and why they should see time as QB1 in the fall.
Another area of concern that was addressed in the offseason was a staggering Tennessee defense. New coordinator Jim Knowles has been trying to teach his system to a lot of new faces.
How far along that process is will likely become evident at some point in the scrimmage.