Why 5-star Tennessee freshman Faizon Brandon craves critiques from coaches

Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon is so starved for constructive criticism that he tries to borrow it from other players.

“I’m trying to learn as much as possible and take coaching the right way,” Brandon said on March 17 during the second day of Tennessee football spring practice.

“And when the coaches are coaching somebody else, I try to listen to what they’re saying too. I try to soak everything in so I can make myself better.”

It’s music to the ears of UT coaches, especially considering Brandon is already a five-star quarterback with immense physical skills. His eagerness to learn speaks to a humility that many blue-chip prospects lack.

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle gladly critiques the footwork and passing mechanics of Brandon, who listens intently. It’s hard to find much wrong with the gifted quarterback’s game. But every minor correction gets Brandon closer to cracking the lineup.

“I never take it in a bad way. I see it as something that can make me better,” Brandon said. “On the next rep that I have, I try to apply what (coaches) said.”

What makes Faizon Brandon a ‘freak of nature’

Tennessee coaches plan to push Brandon hard in spring to determine his limitations. If he can correct mistakes, learn the offense and adjust to the speed of the college game, he could challenge for the starting quarterback position.

“You have to force feed those guys (the playbook) and expose them to what you’re going to need during the course of the fall,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said.

Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub are Brandon’s competition. MacIntyre has a head-start in the system, spending the last year in UT’s offense. Staub has some game experience, including two starts at Colorado.

But Brandon has a tremendous upside.

He was ranked the No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 class by 247Sports Composite. He accounted for 7,635 yards of total offense and 100 touchdowns in his high school career. And he posted a 35-1 record as a starter, including back-to-back state titles for Grimsley High in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“Faizon is just, wow, kind of a freak of nature,” Staub said. “He’s impressive. He’s got raw ability, raw arm strength. And he’s smart. He’s learning this offense, and it’s not easy. I’ve learned a lot of offenses in my time, and it’s not easy.”

How Brandon could stay in QB race into preseason

Brandon checked one of the two boxes toward becoming UT’s starting quarterback the moment he stepped on campus. The athletic 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has the size and physical tools to play in the SEC immediately.

“He is physically ready. He’s a big, strong kid. He could handle what it would take to go play 17 games in this conference,” Halzle said. “The next part is, mentally, how’s he grasping it?”

Checking that second box is a tough task for any quarterback, especially a freshman. It should take Brandon all of spring practice, summer film study and the preseason to grasp enough of the offense to challenge for the starting job.

First, Brandon must handle the growing pains of his first few practices.

“The first five days, man, is really hard,” Heupel said. “The second five days, it gets a little bit better. When you get to the third five days, he’s typically a much different football player than where he started.

“If it’s not trending that way, then that’s an area of concern of how quickly he can continue to progress by the time we get to (preseason) training camp.”

When asked if he’s charting his progress in those five-day increments, Brandon said his focus is much tighter.

“I take it day by day and just try to learn,” Brandon said. “I go out there to make everybody better. I feel like when everybody is competing, it makes the whole room better. Then we’ll just see where it leads us.”

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: QB Faizon Brandon craves critiques from Tennessee football coaches