1st Scrimmage of Fall Camp TODAY!

[LittleVol]

Take it as a compliment - people think you’re an insider

True enough I got what I wanted! Except for Joey Aguilar not playing smart football.

 

[Shirleyudontmeanthat]

I'm sorry but less than 9 months ago I saw a team that couldn't get off the field, couldn't get any pressure, and got ran off the field in the 1st half alone against Ohio State.

I don't get sold bs.

Can this team be good on the DL. Yes

Is it normal to assume you should be better with returning experience? Yes

Did the team lose a lot of talent? Yes

I think it's ridiculous to call a defensive line dominant that hasn't played a real snap this year.

We need to see the pass rush and what happens in physical games. Some physical games they failed the test against last year.

Why are you sorry ?

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

Why are you sorry ?

he means he is sorry to be disagreeing but will anyway. it is pretty standard internet parlance.

 

[LittleVol]

About what I expected. Defense being dominant. Our run game still being legit. Pass game still being a question mark. The one positive development is the starting offensive line looking good.

I doubt we play many defenses as good as ours. So if we can muster up even a little something in the pass game moving forward we'll be really tough to beat. As of now, I think we'll be at least as good as we were last year with the potential to be better if we stay healthy and the young guys hit the ground running.

I think Heupel needs to legit give George Mac as true shot.

That kid had no weapons at Brentwood Academy (which is ridiculous to think about) or they were just too young. But now? Dasane Brame is a new age prototype TE. He’s good young WRs and some “older” guys in the room.
- run the ball
- play defense
- let your true freshman QB take small chances in big games and bigger chances in small games.

2026 comes around.
- Best o-line the SEC
- great dline again
- best LBs and Secondary in the SEC
- experienced QB and WRs/TE

Heupel as A LOT to think about

 

[BreatheUT]

Why are you sorry ?

Because I mean no offense to the posters assessment.

I am hopeful that it comes together. Prudent observers say they have the potential to be good up front. You just can't label a team dominant for what you hope for. They can dominate in practice but we still won't learn anything until we see them against enemy fire. Positive feedback and assessment about growth versus last year for the returning players is what I'm looking for. And splash plays on both sides of the ball from our athletes.

Extra credit for the QB being efficient and accurate.

 

[Vol_guy]

hubbs







a.p.

Thank you Fingers

 

[jasonvol18]

GMac...let's roll with it.

Back to work next week.

He needs to add weight and muscle. He would get killed right now. I'm excited about his future, but hope to hell he doesn't have to play. No way in hell would he survive a season at his weight and size.

 

[SaturdaysInKnox]

GMac has a little Tyler Bray to him but a little more athletic. Still needs to develop and get bigger but I do think he's the guy next year - yes, over Faizon Brandon.

JA will be the bridge guy, similar to how Milton was.

 

[connor]

I’m for giving GM the reins to the offense, until he loses the job

 

[RDU VOL#14]

If the defense wasn’t ahead of this offense in the first scrimmage I would’ve started booking holiday plans for Shreveport or the nobodygaf.org bowl. Sounds like we’re in a good place. Would like to know the story behind the pick 6.

 

[Skooter]

I’m for giving GM the reins to the offense, until he loses the job

No you go with the guy with school records and 22/23 over a qb who hasn’t seen many wins at the HS level, none at the college level and legs thinner than the kid from Stranger Things.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

I'm sorry but less than 9 months ago I saw a team that couldn't get off the field, couldn't get any pressure, and got ran off the field in the 1st half alone against Ohio State.

I don't get sold bs.

Can this team be good on the DL. Yes

Is it normal to assume you should be better with returning experience? Yes

Did the team lose a lot of talent? Yes

I think it's ridiculous to call a defensive line dominant that hasn't played a real snap this year.

We need to see the pass rush and what happens in physical games. Some physical games they failed the test against last year.

How can you not tell that this DL is dominant? Didn’t you read the secondhand reports of a scrimmage from people who didn’t actually see the scrimmage? Don’t mind the fact that apparently the offense ran well on the defensive line.

You have to take these posters with a grain of salt. “Dominant” means pretty good, “really good” means average, “better than you think” means not good at all.

 

[WillisWG]

 

[BruiserVol]

Hmm. Gmac looking better as a true freshman than a guy that has a ton of experience under his belt tells me maybe there was a reason Aguilar had no offers out of high school. I know we’d all love for him to be the next great qb that never got attention and then broke out, but it ain’t lookin like it to me.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

You want narratives?

What does George Macintyre becoming the starting QB as a true freshman do to our recruiting of Faizon Brandon…?

This is the issue that nobody thought we would be an issue because
- this was supposed to be Nico’s 3rd year
- Merklinger was supposed to be ready
- Joey Aguilar is supposed to be the gift that fell out of the sky with his 7,000 college passing yards.

I’ll be the one to say! If Brandon decomits what would that do to our 2026 class???

Here, you seem like you might need one of these:



Heh, just giving you grief.

Let's don't worry about the true freshman who looks good in one scrimmage in the first half of fall camp. That never lasts.

I'd put a significant amount of money down that says either Aguilar or Merklinger starts this season and between the two of them, play most of the snaps from August to January.

Nice that MacIntyre had a good day. Happy for him. He ain't the 2025 Vols QB. Consequently, all the weird-shaped dominoes you imagine falling if he were, well that's just "What if Hitler won WWII" kinds of wasted time.

Go Vols!

 

[griffdog14]

this is worst case scenario. GMac is the best QB but is too green and underweight, so the staff will go with Aguilar and Merk who will both struggle to separate from each other, and won't raise the ceiling of the team. ffs.

 

[a vol n tears]

You want narratives?

What does George Macintyre becoming the starting QB as a true freshman do to our recruiting of Faizon Brandon…?

This is the issue that nobody thought we would be an issue because
- this was supposed to be Nico’s 3rd year
- Merklinger was supposed to be ready
- Joey Aguilar is supposed to be the gift that fell out of the sky with his 7,000 college passing yards.

I’ll be the one to say! If Brandon decomits what would that do to our 2026 class???

Just a devil’s advocate question. If JA is a gift that fell in the Vols lap, why was he not taken from the portal by a team that had a good nucleus but just needed an experienced QB for 1 year, that could put them in playoff contention. Just because he signed with the Vols doesn’t mean his skills increased. UCLA took our SEC mid pack guy over JA , so why think his abilities are any better than mid pack.

 

[Volle]

GMAC will start by midseason if JA or JM are turnover prone. Heupel's offense has never had a QB with more than five INT's in a season.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Just a devil’s advocate question. If JA is a gift that fell in the Vols lap, why was he not taken from the portal by a team that had a good nucleus but just needed an experienced QB for 1 year, that could put them in playoff contention. Just because he signed with the Vols doesn’t mean his skills increased. UCLA took our SEC mid pack guy over JA , so why think his abilities are any better than mid pack.

While Joey A looks like a good kid and a hard working QB, there's nothing but orange tinted glasses suggesting he's special.

There's nothing suggesting Josh Heupel ever gave him more than a passing glance in recruiting ever before Nico left.

Everything suggests Joey A is the best QB Heupel could get after Nico left and that he's a mid range B1G QB.

 

[CINCYVOL]

I think Heupel needs to legit give George Mac as true shot.

That kid had no weapons at Brentwood Academy (which is ridiculous to think about) or they were just too young. But now? Dasane Brame is a new age prototype TE. He’s good young WRs and some “older” guys in the room.
- run the ball
- play defense
- let your true freshman QB take small chances in big games and bigger chances in small games.

2026 comes around.
- Best o-line the SEC
- great dline again
- best LBs and Secondary in the SEC
- experienced QB and WRs/TE

Heupel as A LOT to think about

George will get snapped in half during SEC play. Looks like a baby giraffe. He will be good, but no need to hobble him before he has a chance to develop.

 

[a vol n tears]

N

He needs to add weight and muscle. He would get killed right now. I'm excited about his future, but hope to hell he doesn't have to play. No way in hell would he survive a season at his weight and size.

Not saying you’re right or wrong. Here’s going back to a time Tenn had some excellent talent at the QB position.

Todd Helton - 6’ 1” - 194 lbs. Jr
Brandon Stewart - 6’ 2” - 210 lbs. Fr
Jerry Colquitt - 6’ 4” - 208 lbs Sr
Peyton Manning - 6’ 5” - 200 lbs. Fr

All played in 1994 and Manning was the starter the last 6 games as a true Freshman.
Gmac stated he was about 206 lbs at the start of fall practice. Came in at 190 and had added about 16#

 

[JacketVol]

You want narratives?

What does George Macintyre becoming the starting QB as a true freshman do to our recruiting of Faizon Brandon…?

This is the issue that nobody thought we would be an issue because
- this was supposed to be Nico’s 3rd year
- Merklinger was supposed to be ready
- Joey Aguilar is supposed to be the gift that fell out of the sky with his 7,000 college passing yards.

I’ll be the one to say! If Brandon decomits what would that do to our 2026 class???

one scrimmage and you get this................regardless if GMAC is that good then he will play 3 years and go to NFL and Faizon will be the backup and starter perhaps with 2 to 3 years to play and be one snap away.............bigger issue is Agular would be gone and Merk as well and we would only have 2 QB's on scholarship..............However, I think it will be Joey starting with Merk number 2 BUT gamac will have a hard time not playing this year at all and being a redshirt but he was going to be at least one year ahead of FB and we will see him competing with GMAC and best man will win.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

N

Not saying you’re right or wrong. Here’s going back to a time Tenn had some excellent talent at the QB position.

Todd Helton - 6’ 1” - 194 lbs. Jr
Brandon Stewart - 6’ 2” - 210 lbs. Fr
Jerry Colquitt - 6’ 4” - 208 lbs Sr
Peyton Manning - 6’ 5” - 200 lbs. Fr

All played in 1994 and Manning was the starter the last 6 games as a true Freshman.
Gmac stated he was about 206 lbs at the start of fall practice. Came in at 190 and had added about 16#

There is, of course, no way D linemen and linebackers are bigger now than they were in 1994, right?

 

[landscapingvol]

GMac...let's roll with it.

Back to work next week.

Means absolutely nothing how he performed today and likely the other two as well. The defense knows what is coming and they design it that way to see how the offense will do. There have been numerous scrimmages where the qb’s looked lousy and the other way around

 

[Fingers]

there were a lot of snaps today for freshman wide receivers Travis Smith Jr. and Radarious Jackson, along with Trey Weary and Tommy Winton. Jackson and Smith both had some good moments, although Jackson had an early drop.

Tennessee's defense, particularly the first-team unit, controlled things for most of the day. I was told the first-team offense didn't allow any points, and Bryson Eason and Edwin Spillman — who worked with the first-team defense a lot in place of Jeremiah Telander, who's banged up — both had a good day.

Freshman George MacIntyre had a good day and appeared to be the most consistent passer, although most of his work came against the second- and third-team defenses. Joey Aguilar was OK but not spectacular — Colin Brazzell had a pick-six off Aguilar — although it's worth noting that he obviously wasn't throwing to his projected starters at receiver, for the most part. Jake Merklinger got the first snap with the first-team offense and threw a short touchdown pass, but he struggled with accuracy today, according to sources. Aguilar got more of the first-team reps during the second half of the scrimmage and clearly had a better day than Merklinger.

Brame caught a touchdown pass from MacIntyre that was apparently the offensive highlight of the scrimmage.

I've heard good things about how Tennessee's offensive line performed today, and the Vols had some success in the running game. DeSean Bishop and Star Thomas in particular had a good day — Heupel praised Thomas after the scrimmage — and freshman Daune Morris had some flashes, too. Peyton Lewis played only a limited role, from what I was told, but I don't think that's a sign that he's down the depth chart or anything like that.

On the offensive line, Wendell Moe Jr., Lance Heard and David Sanders all looked really good. William Satterwhite got the start at center with the first-team offense, but Sam Pendleton ended up getting more of the first-team work at center as the scrimmage progressed.

Both Edrees Farooq and Kaleb Beasley got some first-team work at safety alongside Andre Turrentine, although Farooq is believed to have the upper hand in the battle for that starting job.

Jamal Wallace and freshman Ethan Utley got a lot of work with the first- and second-team units at defensive tackle, while Caleb Herring, Jordan Ross and Kellen LIndstrom handled most of the workload at the LEO position, with Joshua Josephs still sitting out.

r.callahan