Here’s every five-star quarterback that’s committed to Tennessee this century: Nico Iamaleava and George MacIntyre.

That’s the list.

In the last three recruiting cycles, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has twice achieved something that Tennessee football hadn’t previously achieved in the modern recruiting era. The year after signing Iamaleava, a top three recruit nationally, Tennessee signed four-star Jake Merklinger— the seventh highest rated Tennessee quarterback signee in the 21st century.

Saturday will mark the three-year anniversary since Tennessee named Josh Heupel its 27th head coach. The two things Heupel has done best in his tenure is recruit quarterbacks and produce highly potent offenses when he has strong quarterback play.

Tennessee’s offense ranked first nationally in 2022 with Hendon Hooker behind center. That success with an elite quarterback has been a reason for Heupel’s success recruiting prep signal callers and it’s also why the Vols landing George MacIntyre on Monday morning re-sparked optimism that Tennessee can win at the sports’ highest level with Heupel as head coach.

On its surface, the Vols haven’t recruited at high enough a level to consistently compete for national championships under Heupel. Tennessee has landed the nation’s No. 24, No. 11 and No. 12 recruiting classes under Heupel according to 247sports.

Those aren’t poor marks especially considering the program Heupel inherited and the number of players they signed this past cycle (21). But you’re not going to compete with Georgia— the SEC and country’s new top program after National Championships in 2021 and 2022 and Nick Saban’s retirement earlier this month.

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Georgia’s class rankings the last three cycles? No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1. The only team that’s beaten Georgia over that stretch? Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s class rankings over those three cycles? No. 2, No. 1 and No. 2.

Tennessee has to recruit at the very least marginally better than they have the last three years to compete for a national championship. But there’s a great equalizer in football— the quarterback position.

Quarterback is the most important position in any sport and it’s Tennessee’s best hope to reach college football’s mountaintop once again. Tennessee’s resurgent 2022 season happened in large part because of elite quarterback play. It was the main reason they beat Alabama, won the Orange Bowl and earned the program’s first 11-win season in two decades.

With average quarterback play in 2023, Tennessee went 9-4 (4-4 SEC) and was largely uncompetitive in all four losses. Admittedly, putting it all on the quarterback is a slight oversimplification. The pieces around Hooker were much better in 2022 than the pieces around Joe Milton III in 2023.

But how Tennessee achieved success in 2022 is how they’ll have to catch Georgia and the rest of the sports’ elite programs. Top level quarterback play surrounded by talented playmakers and a marginally better defense from years of improved recruiting.

Following up landing Iamaleava by landing MacIntyre two recruiting cycles later is reason for optimism that the Vols can produce elite quarterback play. That’s the important piece of the puzzle for Tennessee football.