KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel spoke with the media on Monday and addressed a few hot topics, including who will be the starting quarterback. “When we are ready to name a guy, we will,” he said.
“Let’s see how these guys are at the end of the week,” Heupel said when asked who the Vols will have running the offense on Sept. 2 to start the season against Bowling Green. He added that the players don’t yet know who the starting QB will be either.
The starting job at Tennessee will come down to a 3-man race between sophomore Harrison Bailey, Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker and former Michigan QB Joe Milton III. Heupel said all 3 players remained in contention to start following their final preseason scrimmage of fall camp.
Monday’s press conference was the first since quarterback Brian Maurer announced his decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
When asked about redshirt sophomore’s departure, Heupel said that the two of them had a conversation on where they were at in fall camp, and he made the decision that was best for him.
Maurer is the third Vols quarterback to transfer since the end of the 2020 season, following the departures of senior Jarrett Guarantano and redshirt sophomore J.T. Shrout.
Heupel also didn’t reveal much on the team’s vaccination percentage but did say that they continue to move in the right direction.
