Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron didn’t hold back when he sized up Tennessee freshman Faizon Brandon, and he came away thinking the Vols may have something special on their hands.
After watching Brandon guide Tennessee’s offense over the last two weeks, McCarron said the first-year quarterback looks like a player with a very high ceiling. Brandon has already been named the SEC Freshman of the Week, and he’s earning steady praise inside the program for the way he carries himself.
“I thought the kid played well,” McCarron said on the McCready and Siskey podcast. “Listen, Georgia Tech’s not the loudest place to play at, but, I mean, it was packed.
They were into it. Brent Key’s done an unbelievable job, I hate it for him that they’re 0-2.
But I think this kid’s going to be good. I think it’ll be the best - he has a chance to be the best Tennessee quarterback in a long time.
He goes through the progressions well; he’s calm in the pocket.”
The numbers back up the buzz. In two games, Brandon has thrown for 374 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
He’s also added 90 yards and two scores on 15 carries, giving Tennessee a dual-threat element that has already shown up in key moments. Just as important, he has protected the football while settling in as an 18-year-old making his first road start.
Josh Heupel said Brandon handled that challenge well after the Georgia Tech game.
“I thought he was composed, he handled himself in situational football pretty well,” Heupel said of Brandon after the GT game. “First game on the road, 18 years old, handled himself well, took care of (the ball).
Scrambled, made some plays. There’s a couple things that he’s going to learn from and get better from, but all in all, really good.
He had a great look, demeanor. He’s been consistent in that way.”
McCarron did flag one area where Brandon can still sharpen his game: the deep ball. He pointed to mechanics and accuracy on longer throws, saying the freshman has room to clean that up early in his career.
“The one thing I kind of recognized tonight, he’s got to get better deep-ball accuracy,” McCarron said. “He slings it, and that could probably come down to mechanics.
A lot of times, if you’re yanking your head on deep balls, you lose a ton of accuracy if your head’s not still while you’re throwing it. Every deep ball I saw, he missed by like four yards, or he would throw it out of bounds and not even give him a chance.
But, going through progressions, I think the kid is going to be good. I really do.
I think he has a bright future and I like Josh (Heupel). Josh is an awesome coach.
I think the world of Heupel and I think (Brandon’s) in good hands being there.”
McCarron’s praise for Brandon came shortly after he went after Texas quarterback Arch Manning, and he brought Brandon into that discussion too.
“Arch is, I think Arch has a chance to be good, but I think he’s got a lot of growing to do from a pocket awareness standpoint, from a progression standpoint, playing faster,” McCarron said. “Like, I watched that young kid, the freshman from Tennessee, tonight, and I thought him going through progressions looked better than what Arch looks. And Arch has had a whole year of playing experience over him.”
It’s still early, and Tennessee already has Hendon Hooker as a recent benchmark after his SEC Offensive Player of the Year season. Even so, Brandon’s start has put him on a fast track, and the Vols are clearly invested in what he can become both now and down the road.
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