Tennessee lands in-state, four-star QB George MacIntyre
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Freshman QB Nico Iamaleava runs for three TDs and throws for one in his first career start as the No. 21 Vols shut out the No. 17 Hawkeyes, 35-0, in the Citrus Bowl. (1:02)
Four-star quarterback George MacIntyre committed to Tennessee on Monday, giving coach Josh Heupel a pivotal in-state recruiting victory.
MacIntyre (No. 39 in the 2025 ESPN 300) is the second-best pocket passer in the class, and his pledge would give the Volunteers an in-state ESPN 300 signal-caller for the first time in program history.
“I would say a winning culture,” MacIntyre told ESPN last June about what he was prioritizing in a school. “I try to just analyze the locker room and the staff and how they interact with each other. If it’s a positive, winning culture, then I think that’s something I’d be willing to step into and go to college at.” He’s the second ESPN 300 prospect, following Carroll High School (Texas) tight end Jack VanDorselaer (No. 269 overall in 2025), in Tennessee’s 2025 class. MacIntyre would be the Vols’ third ESPN 300 quarterback in three consecutive cycles, following Nico Iamaleava in 2023 and Jake Merklinger in 2024.
The 6-foot-6, 185-pound quarterback, who plays for Brentwood Academy (Tennessee), chose to stay close to home rather than go to Alabama or LSU. As a junior, he completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,229 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He and his family were in attendance in Knoxville for the Volunteers’ men’s basketball game against Alabama this past weekend.
“I wouldn’t say [geography] is a huge deal,” he said. “But I think that’d just be [an] added bonus if I were to choose there. The in-state buzz — it’s real now [that] they’re good. So that would be pretty cool.”
Tennessee’s 2023 class finished 16th in ESPN’s team rankings, and its 2024 class sits at 13th ahead of the traditional February signing period.
MacIntyre will join a quarterback room that Iamaleava — 23rd overall in the 2023 ESPN 300 — should spearhead for the immediate future.
In his first career start, Iamaleava completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, also running for 27 yards and three scores, in the Volunteers’ 35-0 shutout of Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.
A season after having the FBS’ best total offense (525.5 YPG) en route to an 11-win campaign in 2022, Tennessee’s offense ended 19th nationally in 2023 as it posted a 9-4 record.
“I think there’s a lot of offenses that I can fit into nowadays,” MacIntyre said. “I think a lot of people are in that gun, pro-style offense, you know, the shotgun, vertical games. Stuff like that. I think that’s great. Tennessee, with the choice stuff, I think that’s a good offense, too.”