For the second week in a row to open the 2026 season, Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon has landed SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Brandon did it this time in his first career road start, helping lead the Volunteers to a 45-24 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday night in Atlanta. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native finished with 170 yards of total offense, two touchdowns and no turnovers in the victory over the Yellow Jackets.
Through the air, Brandon went 10-of-21 for 148 yards and two scores. Both touchdown throws came in the first half, covering 25 yards and 20 yards. He also added 22 rushing yards, including a pair of important scrambles on third and fourth downs that kept drives alive.
The recognition follows Brandon’s Week 1 award against Furman, when he piled up five touchdowns - three passing and two rushing - along with 294 total yards in just two-and-a-half quarters.
Tennessee has collected 53 SEC weekly honors during the Josh Heupel era, which began in 2021, including 13 SEC Freshman of the Week awards.
Other SEC weekly winners for Week 1, announced Sept. 14, 2026, included co-offensive players of the week Arch Manning of Texas and Austin Simmons of Missouri; co-defensive players of the week Caleb Woodson and Luke Metz of Alabama; co-special teams players of the week Vernell Brown III of Florida and Vicari Swain of South Carolina; co-offensive linemen of the week Canon Boone of Mississippi State and Trevor Goosby of Texas; and co-defensive linemen of the week Devan Thompkins of Alabama and Daeden Hopkins of Missouri.
In Other News...
Faizon Brandon Gets A Massive Tennessee Test Sooner Than Anyone Expected
The SEC opener in Knoxville arrives with a little more intrigue than Tennessee probably expected this early, and it starts with the spotlight on Faizon Brandon. The true freshman has stepped into the biggest job on the field for a Volunteers team that is already 2-0, and now he gets a noon kickoff on ABC in Neyland Stadium against Texas, another undefeated team with its own freshman quarterback story line in Arch Manning.
September 26 will be Brandons first real crash course in what SEC life looks like when the stakes and the stage both jump at once. Tennessee does not have the luxury of easing him into the league schedule, and Texas brings the kind of early test that can expose young quarterbacks quickly, especially in a matchup that will set the tone for both teams before the rest of the conference slate really takes hold. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Defense Has The Talent But One Issue Still Lingers
There is plenty to like about Tennessees defense on paper, and Amare Campbell sounded like a player who can see the ceiling as clearly as anyone in the room. The linebacker pointed to the groups talent, leadership and edge, while also crediting Arion Carter for bringing energy and helping set the tone. He also noted how the Volunteers have leaned into a four-linebacker package and how much internal competition has sharpened that room.
Still, Campbells bigger point was that the Vols have to clean up the details before the talent really starts showing up on Saturdays. He emphasized consistent execution, better technique and fewer penalties, and said the challenge has been carrying practice intensity into game action. It is the kind of issue Tennessee can live with in August, but one that becomes a lot harder to ignore once the season starts to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
One Hall Of Fame Voter Sees Tennessee Very Differently Right Now
Tennessees early-season win over Georgia Tech helped the Volunteers land at No. 14 in the latest FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll, a weekly ranking that comes from FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Released after Week 2 of the 2026 college football season, the poll offers another snapshot of how the sports insiders are sizing up the first stretch of the year, and Tennessee has clearly made an impression.
The ranking also gives the Vols a familiar measuring-stick moment, because the group at the top remains Texas at No. 1. For Tennessee, the bigger question now is whether that early recognition turns into something more lasting as the season settles in, with the poll serving as one more sign that the win over Georgia Tech may have mattered beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]