The Tennessee Volunteers will turn to a true freshman at quarterback for the first time since 2004.
Quarterback Faizon Brandon has won the Vols quarterback battle, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Brandon beat out sophomore George MacIntyle for the job, making him the first true freshman to start the season for Tennessee at quarterback in more than 20 years.
The five-star quarterback out of Greensboro, North Carolina, was one of the top high school players at his position (and in general) in the country for the class of 2026, per 247 Sports. The Grimsley graduate was the third-ranked quarterback behind Keisean Henderson (Houston) and Jared Curtis (Vanderbilt).
Now, Brandon will run through the Power T in Knoxville this fall as QB1.
ALABAMA: Meet Keelon Russell,
the new Crimson Tide starting quarterback
Breaking: Tennessee has named true freshman Faizon Brandon the team's starting quarterback, sources tell @PeteThamel.
— ESPN (@espn) August 24, 2026
He'll be the first true freshman QB to start for the Vols in a season opener since 2004. pic.twitter.com/Jvs4CyolQi
What a big development out of Tennessee.
Has Curtis won the Vanderbilt job?
Not yet. He's competing with veteran Blaze Berlowitz for the starting quarterback job in Nashville.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Meet Faizon Brandon, the new Tennessee starting quarterback
