Tennessee Volunteers QB Faizon Brandon Earns Glowing Praise from ESPN NFL Analyst
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Tennessee Volunteers starting quarterback Faizon Brandon enters Week 3 with a 2-0 record and the 5th-highest ESPN QBR (93.5) in the nation entering his third start. While it’s still very early in the 18-year-old quarterback’s collegiate career, the true freshman has already caught the eye of a top ESPN NFL analyst.
After Tennessee beat Georgia Tech 45-24 in Atlanta, ESPN’s Louis Riddick posted that Brandon is going to be a “special” player and highlighted the remarkable growth the Volunteers quarterback showed in just a single week.
“TRUE Freshman QB Faizon Brandon gonna be special. You could see the growth from week one to week 2 last night as far as the composure in every situation, and the ability to turn a bad play into a good play simply because he has the special pass/run dual threat traits to do so. When you then consider the punishing ground game that they have in place to support him, you realize @Vol_Football is going to be a force to be reckoned with in ‘26.”
ESPN NFL Analyst Louis Riddick on Tennessee Volunteers QB Faizon Brandon
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- Faizon Brandon stats (2026): 374 passing yards (60.5% completion rate), 9.8 yards per attempt, 5-0 TD-INT, 93.5 ESPN QBR, 90 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
Brandon excelled in his collegiate debut at Neyland Stadium, recording more total touchdowns (five) than incompletions (four) with 226 yards through the air and 68 on the ground. While his numbers weren’t as impressive in the Week 2 victory against Georgia Tech—10-of-21 passes completed, 148 passing yards, 2-0 TD-INT, and 22 rushing yards—he protected the football and made plays to sustain drives.
When the true freshman first arrived in Knoxville, it was widely assumed that George MacIntyre would be the Volunteers starting quarterback to open the season. Then, Brandon impressed in spring practices and didn’t leave campus during the break as he kept training so he could be in a position to win the starting job in the summer.
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He’s shown all the physical tools that made him a 247 Sports‘ five-star recruit along with the football IQ, decision-making and leadership that led to head coach Josh Heupel naming him the starter.
There will certainly be ups and downs ahead for Brandon, likely next Saturday when he faces the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns at Neyland Stadium on ABC. What matters the most, however, is Tennessee might have a quarterback who could develop into becoming an All-American candidate and eventually a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
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