Will Tennessee football win in Faizon Brandon's debut? Our prediction

Tennessee football will kick off the 2026 season and debut some important new faces at Neyland Stadium.

No. 18 Tennessee hosts Furman (1-0) on Sept. 5 (3:30 pm ET, ESPN+/SEC Network+).

Here's what you need to know about the matchup:

Key newcomers making their Tennessee football debuts

Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon will play in front of a sold out Neyland Stadium for the first time. He's extremely talented, the No. 3 quarterback recruit from the class of 2026 according to 247Sports, but also the youngest starting quarterback in UT history at barely 18.

No matter how talented a player is, football is played at a far faster pace and by far more talented players at the college level than it is in high school. How Brandon reacts to the atmosphere and opponent, even an FCS team, will offer a small look into where room for growth exists.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is also making his UT debut and integrating a handful of new assistants and transfer starters. In previous stops at Ohio State and Penn State, Knowles' units have taken some time to reach their peak forms and at UT, he'll have to adjust for the loss of starting safety Edrees Farooq, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 14.

Bigger challenges, like a road trip at Georgia Tech, lie beyond this week, so it would behoove the Vols to iron out any issues against Furman.

Furman uses rushing attack to control clock

After taking a 17-3 lead into halftime against Division II Anderson University on Aug. 27, Furman chose to bleed the clock with a patient rushing attack in the second half. The Paladins rushed for 268 total yards while averaging better than six yards per carry and possessing the ball for 18 minutes in the second half.

Running backs CJ Nettles and Ben Croasdale combined for 166 rushing yards and two touchdown runs on 21 attempts, and quarterback Jake Garcia added 51 yards on nine attempts. All told, the Paladins rushed on 61% of their offensive plays while averaging 6.1 yards per carry during a 20-3 win.

Garcia hasn't proven to be a stellar passer during his career. He's thrown more interceptions than touchdowns during four combined seasons at Miami, ECU, Missouri and Michigan. But the Paladins can give themselves a chance to be successful on offense if they keep the ball on the ground.

Furman special teams struggled during season opener

A small part of the reason Furman struggled to separate from a Division II opponent by more than 17 points were some issues in the kicking game. Placekicker Nathan Chapman, a first-year starter, missed two of four field goal attempts, including one from 29 yards out.

Any points Furman score against the Vols won't come easily but driving into field goal range and missing would be deflating for a team seeking to pull a massive upset. The Paladins can't expect to rely on their special teams to put points on the board.

Tennessee vs Furman prediction

Tennessee 62, Furman 7: A 17-point win at home over a Division II team doesn't inspire much confidence that the Paladins will be able to hang with the Vols for any of this game. There's a chance one of Furman's two quality running backs are able to break an explosive play past a UT defense that is still getting settled under their new quarterback, but even that seems far-fetched.

The Vols won the only two games played between these two teams back in the 1940s and they'll make it three wins in as many tries against Furman without any drama.

Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Will Tennessee football win in Faizon Brandon's debut? Our prediction