The #20 ranked Tennessee Volunteers are less than two weeks away from opening the 2026 regular season.
Tennessee opens the campaign at home on September 5 against Furman, officially ushering in year six of the Josh Heupel era.
Now, the Volunteers have their starting quarterback ahead of the season.
Five-star freshman Faizon Brandon is going to start the opener – and perhaps far beyond – in a decision made by Heupel on Monday.
Heupel’s words are via Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel.
“I told the team this morning that Faizon had earned the right to be the starter (in) Week 1,” Heupel said. “Faizon gets the nod in Week 1. The expectation at the quarterback position is like at every position, that guys continue to grow and compete every day and continue to get better throughout the course of the season.”
Tennessee is Banking on Brandon
GettyTennessee’s skill position groups are exceptional heading into 2026.
Brandon, 18, is the first true freshman to start a game since Nico Iamaleava in 2023. Iamaleava began his collegiate career with much promise before a dispute over NIL resulted in a split.
Now, the 6’4″ Brandon is facing pressure to actually secure a legacy with the Volunteers. He is the third-ranked player in the 2026 recruiting class (247 Sports), which generates even more lofty expectations in return.
Tennessee isn’t projecting to be among the absolute best teams in a loaded SEC conference, but they do roster plenty of talent. Third-year running back DeSean Bishop is coming off of a season in which he ran for 16 touchdowns in just 182 carries (Sports Reference). Third-year receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are each coming off of 800-yard seasons. They are expecting to suitably replace Chris Brazzell II, who is now with the Carolina Panthers.
For lack of better term, there is no lack of talent around the incoming freshman.
How Brandon Earned Right to Start for Tennessee
Brandon’s path to earning the starting job began on February 20. The 2025 starting quarterback in Joey Aguilar saw his preliminary injunction to receive one more year of eligibility denied. This instantly created a hole at the position.
Brandon instantly built up an advantage due to enrolling in the university in January. Tennessee native George MacIntyre was competition on the front end. Heupel also added Colorado transfer Ryan Staub (Colorado) via the transfer portal.
The competition saw all three contenders flash, but Brandon’s well-documented athleticism and cool, collected approach to the pocket (even as a first-year player) won out in the end.
Brandon won’t exactly be thrown into the fire right away, although the September 12 road contest against Georgia Tech is profiling to be somewhat challenging.
All in all, Tennessee’s season is likely coming down to four distinct games. Tennessee’s SEC-opening contest against Texas (September 26) is a big-time litmus test for Brandon. The traditional third weekend in October against Alabama is another massive clash for conference standings. The final of the “big four” games come in November. The Volunteers travel to face Texas A&M on November 14 before hosting LSU on November 21.
The good news here? Three of the four most challenging contests of the season for Brandon will be from the comforts of a home crowd.
Tennessee Volunteers Freshman Faizon Brandon Named Starting Quarterback