Overview
- Head coach Josh Heupel announced on Monday that true freshman Faizon Brandon will start Tennessee’s season opener against Furman on Sept. 5 after winning the fall quarterback competition.
- Heupel credited Brandon’s control of the playbook, fundamentals, pocket awareness and decision‑making in the final scrimmages as the main reasons for naming him the starter.
- Brandon arrived as a consensus five‑star, top‑10 overall recruit who went roughly 35‑1 as a high‑school starter with about 7,490 passing yards and 90 touchdowns and adds a noted rushing threat.
- The staff expects to continue evaluating the position in game action and plans to give George MacIntyre early reps in the opener as insurance and development time.
- Tennessee’s experienced offensive line and skill players give Brandon a supportive environment but his rapid promotion puts him on a steep learning curve against a difficult early schedule that includes Georgia Tech and soon after No. 5 Texas.