Tennessee has kept up its impressive recruiting streak of elite quarterback prospects.
Four-star quarterback George MacIntyre, who made his commitment public during a ceremony at Brentwood Academy, a prep school in Nashville, gave Tennessee a significant in-state recruiting victory on Monday. MacIntyre selected the Vols over an SEC-dominated pool of finalists that included Alabama and LSU. MacIntyre is ranked as the No. 9 recruit nationally and the No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2025 by 247Sports.
While Alabama and Tennessee engaged in a fierce competition for MacIntyre’s services, LSU was able to satisfy its quarterback requirement with the recruitment of Bryce Underwood, the top prospect in the 2025 class. After Nick Saban’s retirement, he was one of the first prospects that incoming Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and crew re-offered. He made many unofficial trips to each school during the autumn.
However, MacIntyre returned to Knoxville in the days preceding his declaration, and ultimately, the attraction of showcasing an in-state team prevailed.
“As a native of the state, I can really feel the excitement at Tennessee,” MacIntyre said to 247Sports. “Their fan base is insane when they’re doing well. And everything is proceeding. Since taking over, Coach Heupel has performed admirably, in my opinion. They’ve always experienced a drought in Tennessee, so it’s encouraging to see him help them out.”
With the gifted signal caller in the fold, Tennessee’s 2025 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 10 in 247Sports’ Team Composite Rankings, added MacIntyre as the sixth prospect. Potential future weaponry is already encircling MacIntyre in Tennessee. A Top247 talent from Texas, Jack Van Dorselaer is a four-star tight end who committed in January. Three three-star Georgia Milton High School cornerbacks have also committed to the Volunteers.
A football lineage
As Brentwood Academy’s starting quarterback for the past two years, MacIntyre has passed for 5,570 yards and 44 touchdowns against just 16 interceptions. His 6-foot-6 stature makes him a formidable player on the court as well, and he’s reportedly had basketball offers from schools like Arizona State and Florida International.
However, MacIntyre’s on-field accomplishments and recruiting pedigree shouldn’t be shocking—he hails from a football family. George, his grandfather, was a quarterback for Miami University before starting a long coaching career, mostly in Tennessee. After serving as the UT-Martin coach from 1975 to 1977, he was hired by Vanderbilt in 1979. After guiding the Commodores to an 8-4 record, he was named the 1982 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year.
Mike MacIntyre, the younger George’s uncle, is the head coach at Florida International after having played defensive back at Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. In his two seasons with the Panthers, MacIntyre is 8-16. His resume also includes head coaching positions at Colorado and San Jose State
Tennessee’s outstanding quarterback run continues.
Over the past few years, Tennessee has recruited quarterbacks better than most other colleges. MacIntyre follows current Tennessee star and projected starter Nico Iamaleava as the second-ranked quarterback to pledge to the Vols in the last three cycles.
In 2023, Iamaleava signed with Tennessee as the second-best quarterback prospect in the country, behind Texas’s Arch Manning. In Tennessee’s Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa, Iamaleava had the opportunity to start and was voted the game’s MVP after rushing for three additional touchdowns and throwing for 151 yards and a touchdown.
Not to be outdone, Tennessee also signed four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger in 2024, who has a lot of talent. Merklinger, a graduate of Calvary Day School in Georgia, is ranked No. 13 among signal callers in 2024. He just finished his senior year with 38 touchdown passes against just 2 interceptions. He will have a few years to gain experience under Iamaleava before facing MacIntyre in the earliest possible start in 2026. For the Vols, not a terrible situation.
