Tennessee freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon was steady in the final nonconference tune-up before SEC play, and that appears to be his default mode.
Brandon sparked the 14th-ranked Vols to a big lead over Kennesaw State on Sept. 19. He accounted for 225 yards of total offense and two touchdowns and appeared unbothered by any factors in the game.
Tennessee plays No. 1 Texas on Sept. 26 (noon ET, ABC) at Neyland Stadium, when Brandon will face off with Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.
Here’s a quick rundown of Brandon’s performance against Kennesaw State.
Faizon Brandon stats
Brandon was 18-of-26 passing for 178 yards, one TD and no interceptions against Kennesaw State. He rushed for 47 yards and one TD. He fumbled twice, losing one on a strip sack.
Through three games
in the 2026 season, Brandon has passed for 552 yards, six TDs and no interceptions. And he’s rushed for 137 yards and three TDs. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors in his first two games against Furman and Georgia Tech.
Faizon Brandon’s best: Steady start
Brandon started the game 8-of-10 passing, including a 13-yard TD toss to Braylon Staley. He was controlled and judicious, opting for short underneath passes to running backs and slot receivers when that’s what the defense gave him.
Brandon also rushed for 30 yards on UT’s back-to-back TD drives to start the game. His scrambling kept plays alive and extended drives. He never appeared panicked by pressure and eluded pass rushers.
It was a good sampling of his performance. Brandon didn’t force things, but he was quietly productive.
Faizon Brandon’s worst: First turnover, missed TD
Brandon played almost 10 quarters without committing a turnover to start his career. But that ended just before halftime when he was hit by a heavy pass rush and fumbled. The turnover wasn't solely the fault of Brandon because he didn’t have much time to throw. However, he fumbled again on a run in the fourth quarter, which UT recovered.
There was another minor error. Brandon started the game 8-of-10 passing with one TD, but he narrowly missed connecting for a second score. On a second-and-10 play from the 25, Staley got inside position while running a slant into the end zone. But Brandon’s pass sailed a little high and off the fingertips of a leaping Staley. If was on target, it would’ve been a touchdown.
Grade: A-
Brandon’s minor mistakes seemed to have no effect on his performance. After missing a pass over the middle, he went back to that area of the field and completed passes in traffic. After suffering a strip sack, he calmly faced pressure and escaped with ease.
One of coach Josh Heupel's favorite mantras is that players shouldn't make the same mistake twice. So far, Brandon is the embodiment of that coaching point.
Brandon has demonstrated an exciting skillset through three nonconference games. He's an elusive runner, an accurate passer, a steady decision-maker and a cool customer under pressure. Now comes a much tougher test against No. 1 Texas and an SEC gauntlet. But there's little to criticize about Brandon's performance to this point.
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 at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Grading freshman QB Faizon Brandon in Tennessee football win over Kennesaw State
