Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key has spent the week studying Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon, and the more film he watched, the more impressed he became. Brandon will make his first college road start Saturday night when No. 18 Tennessee visits Georgia Tech, giving the true freshman his first opportunity to prove that his dominant debut against Furman was more than an opening-week flash.
Key offered one of the strongest endorsements yet of Tennessee’s young quarterback after completing his preparation for the Volunteers.
“Being a freshman quarterback, as good of a freshman quarterback as I’ve seen in college football in a long time,” Key said Thursday. “The thing that I’m really so impressed with is his poise behind center. You don’t see him get rattled. Very impressive young man to watch on film this week.”
Key’s comments came during his Thursday media availability ahead of the sold-out matchup at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Georgia Tech coach had already praised Brandon earlier in the week, pointing toward his size, arm strength, mobility and command of Tennessee’s offense. After spending additional time dissecting the film, however, Key’s evaluation became even stronger.
Faizon Brandon Earns Major Praise After Tennessee Debut
Brandon could hardly have produced a better introduction to college football. The freshman completed 13 of 17 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns in Tennessee’s 56-9 victory over Furman, while adding 68 rushing yards and two more scores. His five total touchdowns tied Tennessee’s freshman quarterback record for a single game and earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Key said earlier in the week that Brandon can “rip it” as a passer while also becoming dangerous when he pulls the ball down and runs. What appeared to impress Key most, though, was Brandon’s composure. That could become especially important Saturday, when Brandon goes from the comfort of Neyland Stadium against an FCS opponent to a sold-out road environment against a Power Four defense looking to rebound from an ugly opening loss.
The excitement surrounding Brandon is understandable, but one game against Furman is nowhere near enough evidence to determine just how good Tennessee’s freshman can become. Saturday should offer a considerably better measuring stick. Georgia Tech is not an elite national defense, but playing on the road at night against a Power Four opponent presents communication, pressure and adversity that Brandon simply did not encounter in his debut.
Georgia Tech Provides Brandon’s First Real Test
Georgia Tech enters Saturday looking for a response after losing 14-13 to Colorado in its opener. Key was highly critical of his team’s performance afterward, particularly its inability to establish the running game and consistently play the physical style he expects. Tennessee now arrives with a freshman quarterback generating significant national attention and an offense that produced 638 total yards against Furman.
That makes Key’s assessment of Brandon particularly notable. An opposing head coach has little incentive to add unnecessary hype to the quarterback he is preparing to stop, yet Key went as far as calling Brandon one of the best freshman quarterbacks he has seen in college football in a long time. Brandon still has a long way to go before one dominant outing can justify the larger comparisons already surrounding him, but Saturday offers the next important piece of evidence.
A strong performance in Atlanta would carry considerably more weight than anything Brandon accomplished against Furman. If the freshman handles a hostile road environment with the same poise Key saw on film, the hype surrounding Tennessee’s new quarterback will become much more difficult to dismiss.
Georgia Tech HC Brent Key Makes Eye-Opening Faizon Brandon Claim Before Tennessee