Auburn’s first road test of the season just got a lot more revealing.
On Monday morning, Tennessee officially named 5-star true freshman Faizon Brandon its starting quarterback, locking in the Tigers’ October 3 trip to Rocky Top as one of the early measuring-stick games on the schedule. Brandon’s arrival at QB gives the Vols a higher ceiling right away, and Auburn now knows exactly what kind of challenge is waiting in Week 5.
Tennessee already had plenty of firepower around the quarterback position. Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley were both placed on the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list after each posted more than 800 receiving yards and six touchdowns in the 2025 season.
On the ground, DeSean Bishop churned out 1,076 yards on 182 carries with 16 touchdowns. Up front, the offensive line also brings back continuity and veteran production.
The bigger unknown sits on the other side of the ball. Jim Knowles is taking over as defensive coordinator after Tim Banks followed Alex Golesh to the Plains following Banks' firing from UT.
Knowles has a championship résumé from Ohio State two years ago, but his defenses are complex and usually require time for players to get comfortable. That process went badly last season at Penn State, where the Nittany Lions never really got his concepts working.
Brandon changes the equation anyway.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound quarterback completed 72% of his passes for 6,374 yards and 79 touchdowns at Grimsley High School in North Carolina, while also averaging more than 300 rushing yards per season. He was the most dynamic athlete in Tennessee’s quarterback room, and the move to make him the starter always felt like where this was headed, even with his lack of experience.
For Auburn, the matchup puts a spotlight on the outside linebackers. Brandon’s tempo and spread attack will test corners, but his ability to hurt defenses with his legs makes the edges especially important. The Tigers will need an off-ball defender on the outside who can change directions quickly and handle space.
That could force some adjustments for Xavier Atkins, who does his best work in the middle shooting the A-gap. He may need to spend more time in an overhang role covering the slot on October 3, unless someone else in the group proves capable of taking that responsibility over the season’s first month.
Either way, this is a chance for Auburn’s linebackers to show what they can do in a game that will put them under immediate stress. There’s no tougher offensive assignment on the schedule before the bye week.
It’s a similar setup to Alabama choosing Keelon Russell as its QB1: Tennessee has made Auburn’s defense deal with a quarterback who can attack in multiple ways. Brandon is the more willing runner, though, which means DJ Durkin’s group has to be ready to meet him in the open field and deliver big hits.
That’s a tall order. Tennessee just became a more dangerous opponent for everyone it will face over the next three months, and Auburn will find out soon enough how well it can handle the pressure on its first trip away from home.
In Other News...
Auburn Just Showed How Far Its Willing To Go For Golesh
Auburn did more than simply hire Alex Golesh. It committed to him with a six-year deal that puts his annual compensation at $6.75 million, a package split between direct salary and payments to his LLC and rounded out with the kinds of benefits that usually signal a school is making a major investment in its coach. The agreement also includes an automobile allowance, club memberships, moving expenses and ticket allocations, plus performance incentives tied to regular-season wins.
The contract details make clear Auburn wanted structure as much as commitment, with buyout language that spells out what would be owed if the relationship ends at different points along the way. That kind of language is standard in big coaching deals, but the level of specificity around Goleshs contract shows just how carefully Auburn is trying to protect its side of the bargain while also making sure the coach knows exactly what the school is promising in return. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Just Got Pulled Into A Messy SEC Eligibility Fight
The latest eligibility fight in college sports has started to ripple well beyond the schools directly involved, and Auburn has now been drawn into the conversation as the SEC keeps absorbing the fallout. The issue centers on recent rulings that have changed how fifth-year eligibility is handled, a shift that has already influenced player movement and raised fresh questions about roster building and competitive balance across the conference.
Diana Florence, the lawyer involved in the Colorado 5 in 5 case, has been gathering statements from student-athletes affected by those decisions, while Oregon coach Dan Lanning has already gone public with his criticism of the new rules. His concerns about fairness to current players and the sports integrity underscore why this dispute is becoming so much bigger than a technical eligibility argument, especially for SEC teams trying to manage a constantly changing personnel picture. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Defensive Pecking Order Is Finally Starting To Take Shape
As Auburn wraps up preseason camp under new head coach Alex Golesh, the defensive picture is becoming clearer after a couple of scrimmages helped sort out who is handling the first-team work and who is pushing from behind. The Tigers have spent August trying to build a reliable two-deep across the front, at linebacker and in the secondary, and the early read from camp is that experience and steady practice showings are starting to matter as much as raw talent.
There are still a few spots where the competition is alive, but the broader shape of the defense is beginning to emerge. Auburn is moving toward a more defined pecking order at defensive tackle, defensive end, linebacker, cornerback and nickelback, which is exactly what a staff wants before the season starts. The last days of camp may not settle every battle, but they should give the Tigers a much better sense of who they trust when the games begin. [Read more 🡒]