Josh Heupel names Faizon Brandon starting quarterback for Tennessee football

Freshman Faizon Brandon will be Tennessee football's starting quarterback to begin the 2026 season, a source confirmed to Knox News on Aug. 24.

The source requested anonymity because no official announcement has been made.

Coach Josh Heupel told the team about his decision in a meeting on Aug. 24. He is expected to address it in a press conference later in the day.

The 18th-ranked Vols will play Furman on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+/ESPN+) at Neyland Stadium.

Brandon will be Tennessee’s 13th true freshman to start at quarterback, and the first since Nico Iamaleava in the Citrus Bowl to finish the 2023 season. That list of true freshman starting quarterbacks also includes the top five career passers in UT history: Peyton Manning, Casey Clausen, Erik Ainge, Tyler Bray and Joshua Dobbs.

Brent Schaeffer was the last true freshman quarterback to start in a Tennessee season opener in 2004.

Brandon beat out sophomore George MacIntyre and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub in a competition that spanned the entire offseason. Brandon’s downfield passing, running ability and steady growth in understanding the offense helped him pull ahead.

Brandon’s trajectory is sky high. He was a five-star recruit and ranked the No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 class by the 247Sports Composite. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder from Greensboro, North Carolina, enrolled at UT in January, but his ascension to the starting role wasn’t always clear.

Tennessee explored transfer quarterbacks in the portal in January, but it didn’t sign one. And in February, Joey Aguilar, UT’s 2025 starter, failed to gain an extra year of eligibility when a Knoxville judge denied a preliminary injunction that could've halted NCAA eligibility rules in his case.

That opened the door for Brandon to start as a freshman, and he seized the opportunity with a strong march toward the 2026 season.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel names Faizon Brandon starting quarterback for Tennessee football