Tennessee names Faizon Brandon starting quarterback

The quarterback battle is over, and Josh Heupel has made a decision. Faizon Brandon, the 5-star true freshman, has beaten out George MacIntyre for the job. Brandon hit the ground running back in the spring when not many gave him a shot to start. That momentum carried through the summer and into fall, and Brandon has now won the job following the second scrimmage.

Brandon arrived at Tennessee as the No. 3 overall player in the class of 2026. Josh Heupel explored options in the transfer portal this offseason, but ultimately came up empty. An appeal for another season of eligibility for Joey Aguilar failed, setting up a Brandon vs. MacIntyre battle. Despite having a year in the system, MacIntyre was unable to beat out Brandon for the job.

So it’s Faizon Brandon taking the field first on September 5th against Furman, but both are sure to play quite a bit. The big test comes on September 12th, when Tennessee travels down to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech in week two. We’ll likely know what exactly this team is after that night.