Is freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon even better than advertised? Is Tennessee‘s offensive line worse? Is wide receiver Mike Matthews the new Chris Brazzell? And does defensive coordinator Jim Knowles have something up his sleeve for Georgia Tech?
We’re in the overreaction stage of the Vols‘ new season, so let’s get to it.
On this podcast episode of “The Volunteer State,” beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams review Tennessee’s 56-9 win over Furman and attempt to divide way-too-early takes from actual insight.
Plus, they look ahead to Week 2. The 18th-ranked Vols (1-0) play Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
To hear the full discussion, listen to the 55-minute podcast. Here are a few highlights.
Brandon earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors in his debut against Furman.
Adams said he gauges a quarterback’s fit in coach Josh Heupel’s offense by three criteria: Their running ability, their touch on deep passes and how well they protect the football. He gave Brandon high marks in all three categories.
Sparks said Brandon’s rushing was even better than he thought. He showed natural instincts, good vision, a burst of speed, decisiveness and physical strength in both designed runs and scrambles. However, future opponents will adjust to Brandon as a runner, and he will need to react effectively to that.
Sparks and Adams also discussed whether Brandon runs the ball too much.
In 2025, Brazzell went from role player to game-changing receiver. He had 125 yards and two TDs against ETSU and 177 yards and three TDs against Georgia, kicking off his standout season.
Matthews had a career-best game with 132 yards and two TDs against Furman.
Adams said he wants to see more before predicting a 1,000-yard season for Matthews. But he’s convinced that Matthews, Braylon Staley and others give the Vols a definitive strength in the receiving corps.
Sparks thinks some people were impatient in waiting for Matthews, a former five-star recruit, to develop. He also believes Matthews could be headed for a season that makes him an attractive NFL draft prospect. Sparks and Adams discussed the future of the wide receiving corps and how it helps Brandon.
Sparks liked that Knowles utilized numerous alignments and personnel packages in the Furman game. He showed his creativity, and more will come against Georgia Tech.
Two Penn State transfers stood out in the opener. Adams had quite a bit to say about defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam‘s UT debut, when he had five tackles-for-loss and three sacks. And Sparks pointed out how effective linebacker Amare Campbell was despite UT returning experienced linebackers.
Sparks and Adams sized up Georgia Tech and the Vols’ matchup in this road game. To hear that breakdown, listen to the podcast.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What we loved about Faizon Brandon’s debut, Tennessee matchup vs Georgia Tech
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