Given that Alabama head coach Nick Saban recently announced his retirement, one has to worry if the Crimson Tide are about to regress.
It’s difficult to envision Alabama sustaining that after Saban’s amazing run. Alabama still has a lot of skill, and head coach Kalen DeBoer is a great guy. There has been a significant departure, though, and DeBoer will need to demonstrate that he can attract players on par with Saban.
With the pledge of George MacIntyre, another five-star quarterback, on Monday, Tennessee football is as well-positioned as any program to take advantage of a drop off from Alabama.
MacIntyre is from Brentwood, Tennessee, and is six feet five. In the 2025 class, he is ranked 15th overall by the 247 Sports Composite rankings. Not only does he rank third among quarterbacks, but the Vols have selected a quarterback ranked in the top three for the second time in three classes.
The previous No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 class is Nico Iamaleava. Being an extremely skilled athlete, he is prepared to guide the Vols into the 2024 campaign. It’s likely that he will play for the next two seasons, after which, if all goes as planned, he will depart Tennessee football to play in the NFL.
Prior to 2025, when Iamaleava would be starting his junior season, MacIntyre would be allowed to join the team.
It looks like Tennessee football will have a five-star quarterback playing for the next four to five years if MacIntyre decides to redshirt and play for another two to three seasons.
Tennessee football under Josh Heupel has failed to make it to either the College Football Playoff or the SEC title game. However, with it growing to 12 teams this season, it appears that the Vols will make that move shortly. Tennessee, with its exceptionally strong quarterback future, is the only SEC program that seems likely to benefit from an Alabama drop-off.
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