Tennessee football news: Faizon Brandon turns heads in Volunteers debut
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Tennessee football news: Faizon Brandon turns heads in Volunteers debut appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tennessee Volunteers took on the Furman Paladins at Neyland Stadium on Saturday in a clash between the FBS and FCS teams. The Paladins came in 1-0 but were quickly outclassed by the Volunteers and their true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who thrilled the Neyland Stadium crowd with stellar play in his college football debut.
The game came following news of a touching Dolly Parton tribute for the 2026 football season in Knoxville. Volunteers linebacker Arion Carter was suspended for the game, but the Tennessee defense held strong in his stead, giving up just nine points in a 56-9 victory for the home team.
Brandon was the star of the show for coach Josh Heupel’s team, reeling off a rare, nearly flawless stat line for a freshman quarterback. The Greensboro, North Carolina native and former five-star prospect finished 13-of-17 passing for 226 yards and five total touchdowns while not throwing a single interception.
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)
His final totals included 10 rushes for 68 yards and two touchdowns as he overwhelmed the Paladins both on the ground and through the air.
“Really just me and my team’s success,” Brandon said when asked what he was most proud of from the win, via Tennessee Football.
Brandon became the youngest quarterback to ever start at Tennessee and made the most of his opportunity, thanks in large part to he and his team’s work ethic.
“It means a lot. All the hard work we put in together in the offseason just built a lot of trust between me and (my teammates), and they just had a lot of trust in me to play very hard, so, I feel like that’s where it all started at,” Brandon added after the game.
Next up for the Volunteers is a road game against Georgia Tech, one week after a blocked field goal by Colorado sent coach Brent Key’s team to 0-1 on the season. Brandon will have a sharp learning curve as he continues to learn on the fly with SEC Conference play looming on Sept. 26 at home against the Texas Longhorns.
Related: Why Rocco Becht knew Koby Howard was in line for a breakout performance
Related: Why Oregon football’s Dan Lanning isn’t pleased by comeback win over Boise State
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos