FILE – Tennessee runs onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Georgia, Sept. 13, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Before Faizon Brandon started a high school football game, the quarterback received a scholarship offer from Tennessee, his first from a Southeastern Conference program. That was three years ago when Brandon was entering his sophomore year and attended a camp on Tennessee’s campus. He never forgot the Volunteers’ coaches confidence, which has never wavered.
On Saturday afternoon, Brandon will become the first Tennessee freshman to start a season opener at quarterback in 22 years when the Volunteers host Furman. It is a clear indication that coach Josh Heupel, who is entering his sixth season with mixed results, is hitching his future on Brandon, who turned 18 on June 1 and was among the top recruits in the high school class of 2026.
At Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C., Brandon won all but one of his games in three years as a starter, the lone loss coming in the state playoffs as a sophomore. In August 2024, a year after receiving the Tennessee offer and entering his junior year, Brandon committed to the school, choosing the Volunteers over Alabama, LSU and North Carolina State, his other finalists.
That same month, Brandon’s mother, Rolanda, filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction, challenging an earlier ruling that barred the state’s public school athletes from benefitting financially from their name, image and likeness. In October 2024, a Superior Court judge ruled in Brandon’s favor, leading the state to later adopt rules allowing high school athletes to sign NIL deals. A report in August 2025 found that 12 athletes signed NIL deals, including one unnamed player who signed a two-year, $1.2 million contract.
Brian Murphy, a reporter with WRAL News in North Carolina, reported that Rolanda Brandon’s lawsuit alleged a “prominent national trading card company” agreed to pay her son “a substantial amount of money” for signing memorabilia, costing him more than $1 million. After the state adopted NIL rules, Brandon signed a deal with Leaf Trading Cards.
On the field, Brandon continued performing at a high level. Over his final two seasons, Brandon led Grimsley to an undefeated record and a pair of state titles, although it wasn’t without incident or controversy. During the first game of his senior season last August, Brandon tore a ligament in his right thumb while diving into the end zone for a game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Grimsley coach Darryl Brown said that numerous people told Brandon to shut it down, rest his thumb and get ready for college. Instead, Brandon returned for the start of the playoffs, threw a 70-yard touchdown on his first pass and helped Grimsley to five consecutive victories. In the state title game, he was named the Most Valuable Payer after completing 8 of 18 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown and running for 80 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown.
“Faizon’s a very humble kid, extremely quiet, very even-keeled, willing to do whatever is required to win,” Brown said. “There were nights where we’d throw it 30 times. There might be nights where we threw it 10. It just depended on what the game dictated. Faizon was good with whatever needed to be done to help his teammates win and be successful.”
After graduating high school early and enrolling at Tennessee in January, Brandon impressed his new teammates and coaches. He participated in spring practices and stuck around campus after the staff gave the players a few weeks off starting in May.
“He’s in the building, whether that’s in the weight room, whether that’s in the video room, walking through things on the turf in our indoor (facility), working on fundamentals,” Heupel told reporters last week. “That type of mentality (and) attitude is a tribute to him and his growth. That’s why he’s continued to grow as fast as he has.”
On Aug. 24, less than two weeks before the opener, Heupel named Brandon the starter. He beat out George MacIntyre, a sophomore who played in two games last season as a backup to Joey Aguilar, who led the Volunteers to an 8-5 overall record, including 4-4 in the SEC. Aguilar sought an extra year of eligibility this year, but he lost a lawsuit in February. As such, Heupel opened up the competition and chose Brandon, who was the No. 3 player and quarterback in the high school class of 2026, per 247Sports.
“Every position is week to week,” Heupel said. “We named him the starter because we believe in the work that he has put in and how he’s continued to grow and play throughout training camp…He’s earned that right. But just like every position, you can consistently evaluate.”
That evaluation starts on Saturday against Furman, a Football Championship Subdivision program that went 6-6 last season. Tennessee, which is No. 20 in the Associated Press preseason poll, then plays at Georgia Tech and at home against Kennesaw State before hosting No. 5 Texas in its SEC opener on Sept. 26. The Volunteers also face No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 11 LSU and No. 13 Alabama. They are picked to finish eighth in the SEC, per a media poll conducted at the league’s media days in July.
In five seasons at Tennessee, Heupel is 45-20, including 24-16 in the SEC. The Volunteers made the College Football Playoff two years ago, losing in the first round at home by 25 points to Ohio State, the eventual national champion. They took a step back last year. Now, they are relying on Brandon, a freshman who needs to play beyond his years for Tennessee to be in CFP contention.
“Like he told me on text, ‘The work’s just beginning,’” Brown said. “He’s a guy that’s very focused. He’s going to be very prepared. He’s going to put in the time it takes to make sure he’s ready.”
Be the first to comment