Why Vols football named true freshman Faizon Brandon its starting QB
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Tennessee has named true freshman Faizon Brandon its starting quarterback, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports and the Knoxville News-Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Monday, Aug. 24.
The decision comes after a lengthy position battle in which Brandon beat out sophomore George MacIntyre and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub, among others.
“One of the most skilled QBs I’ve ever seen. Always a threat to run the football… but trusts his WRs to make plays," a person with direct knowledge of Vols’ decision told USA TODAY Sports on what separated Brandon in the QB competition.
The 6-4, 225-pound Brandon enrolled at Tennessee in January, but even after his arrival, Volunteers coach Josh Heupel and his staff had scoured the transfer portal for potential additions at the position. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee’s starter last season, had also tried to seek another season of eligibility. A Knoxville, Tennessee judge denied him a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in February that would have allowed him to play.
Brandon will become the fifth primary starting quarterback for the Vols in as many years, with each of his predecessors putting up big numbers in Heupel’s high-powered, quarterback-friendly offensive system. Each of those quarterbacks threw for at least 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns for Tennessee offenses that have finished among the top 15 teams nationally in scoring offense three times during that span.
Last season, Aguilar threw for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns. In 2022, Hendon Hooker finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting after accounting for 3,565 total yards and 32 touchdowns for a Vols team that went 11-2 and rose as high as No. 1 nationally in the polls.
Faizon Brandon 247 rating
- Star rating: 5 stars
- Positional ranking: No. 3 QB
- State ranking: No. 2 player in North Carolina
- National ranking: No. 10 player in the nation
Brandon was one of the most coveted recruits in the 2026 class, a five-star prospect who 247Sports’ composite rankings had as the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 quarterback nationally. He put up an impressive 35-1 record at Grimsley High School in his native Greensboro, North Carolina.
Brandon will become the 13th true freshman to start at quarterback and the first since Nico Iamaleava did so in the Citrus Bowl at the end of the 2023 season. He’s in good company, too: The top five career passers in Tennessee history all started as freshmen, a group headlined by Peyton Manning.
The Vols open their season against Furman at home on Saturday, Sept. 5. They’re No. 18 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll after going 8-5 last season, their lowest win total since 2021.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Why Vols football named true freshman Faizon Brandon its starting QB
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