In freshman Faizon Brandon, Tennessee might have its next star quarterback
How Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon assessed his Kennesaw State performance
Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon fumbled against Kennesaw State, but still hasn’t thrown an interception in his first three career starts.
In six seasons under coach Josh Heupel, Tennessee football has become a quarterback assembly line, with the Vols’ high-powered, fast-paced and relatively basic offense making the sport’s most important position a true plug-and-play operation.
In 2022, Hendon Hooker threw for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. The next year, the alluring-but-maddening Joe Milton nearly got to 3,000 yards, as well, while guiding Tennessee to a nine-win season. After that, Nico Iamaleava racked up just shy of 3,000 total yards while helping get the Vols to the College Football Playoff. Then, most recently, Joey Aguilar threw for 3,565 yards in 2025, his first and only season with the program.
Who’s next for Tennessee in that productive procession of passers? From an offseason quarterback competition came not only a winner, but a potential star and a multi-year answer at the position.
In the first three games of his college career, Faizon Brandon has lived up to at least some of the immense hype that greeted him upon his arrival to Knoxville this year. While leading his team to a 3-0 start, Brandon has amassed 689 total yards and nine touchdowns while showing off some of the electric playmaking ability that made him a five-star recruit coming out of high school.
The biggest challenge — and brightest stage — of Brandon’s nascent college career waits this week, with No. 1 Texas visiting Neyland Stadium for a Week 4 game on Saturday, Sept. 26. With a win, No. 13 Tennessee would vault itself from an intriguing team in the SEC to a bona fide playoff and potentially even national title contender. And if the Vols are able to pull that off, there’s a good chance that their freshman quarterback will have formally introduced himself to much of the country in the process.
Heading into that matchup of schools with the initials “UT,” very different shades of orange and a close association with Rick Barnes, here’s a closer look at Brandon:
Faizon Brandon stats
Through three games this season, Brandon has completed 41 of his 64 passes (64.1%) for 552 yards, 8.6 yards per attempt, six touchdowns and no interceptions.
Along with that, he has 137 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 26 rushing attempts, an average of 5.3 yards per carry.
Brandon’s first college start was his best statistically, as he completed 13 of 17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-9 Week 1 win against FCS Furman. He added 68 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts in the victory.
In his first game against a Power Four opponent, though, he struggled a bit with accuracy, completing only 10 of 21 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-24 win at Georgia Tech in Week 2.
It’s the kind of inconsistency that’s to be expected from such a young passer, even one as gifted as Brandon. But even in games like Georgia Tech where his numbers only look so impressive on a box score, Brandon has shown glimpses to his coaches of what he can become.
“The stat sheet’s not going to be elite. I actually really like how he played the game,” Heupel said after the Georgia Tech win. “I thought he was composed, he handled himself in situational football pretty well. First game on the road, 18 years old, handled himself well.”
Faizon Brandon 247 ranking
Brandon was among the most hotly pursued quarterbacks in the country in the 2026 recruiting class.
He was the No. 10 overall prospect nationally in his class and the No. 3 quarterback, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Among quarterbacks, only Keisean Henderson (Houston) and Jared Curtis (Vanderbilt) were ranked ahead of him.
Brandon committed to Tennessee relatively early in the process, giving it a verbal pledge in Aug. 2024, two years before he was set to arrive on campus. He chose the Vols over Alabama, LSU and NC State.
After getting to Tennessee, he beat out sophomore George MacIntyre and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub in a quarterback competition that lasted the entirety of the offseason.
“Put all those things together – with his decision-making and taking care of the football – while still allowing his playmakers to make plays down the field,” Heupel said after announcing Brandon as the starter. “Look at the total volume of work, and he’s earned the right to start.”
Faizon Brandon high school
Over the course of his career at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, Brandon completed over 72% of his passes for 6,374 yards and 79 touchdowns, along with 1,261 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
He went 35-1 as a starter and led Grimsley to two state championships.
Faizon Brandon highlights
Here’s a look at Brandon’s highlights:
Faizon Brandon height
Brandon is listed on Tennessee’s official roster at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds.
Faizon Brandon age
Brandon turned 18 years old on June 1, meaning he was 17 when he first got to Tennessee after graduating from high school in December.
He’s the 14th true freshman to start at quarterback for Tennessee, a list of players that includes the top five career passers in program history: Peyton Manning, Casey Clausen, Erik Ainge, Tyler Bray and Joshua Dobbs.