Furman coach Clay Hendrix doesn’t sound like a man expecting Tennessee to have a quarterback problem on Sept. 5.
That’s a notable stance, considering the Vols are turning the offense over to freshman Faizon Brandon for his first college start in the season opener at Neyland Stadium. But Hendrix, speaking Sept. 1 while previewing the matchup, was quick to praise the first-year quarterback and make clear he doesn’t view Brandon as an easy target.
“I don’t think Tennessee is going to struggle at quarterback. They got a guy who is playing his first college game, but I told somebody, I think he’s a 12-star recruit coming out of high school,” Hendrix said.
"He’s probably going to be a great player. He’s big, and he’s athletic.
And they’re really good coaches, they’re going to put him in a position to be successful.
"He’s got a really good offensive line, a 1,000-yard rusher at running back and I’ll assure you they’ve got some good receivers at Tennessee. Again, can we influence him?
Can we get him to make mistakes? I don’t know.
You still got to score points. It’s hard to win games if you don’t score points."
Brandon, who was named Tennessee’s starter Aug. 24, will become the first true freshman to open a season at quarterback for the Vols since Brent Schaeffer in 2004. The No.
18 Vols host Furman, which is 1-0, on Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Brandon comes from Greensboro, North Carolina, and arrived in Knoxville as a five-star recruit in the 2026 class. He was ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in that class and enrolled early, staying on campus while he worked his way into the competition for the job. He ultimately beat out sophomore George MacIntyre and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub.
After the decision, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Brandon had earned the role.
"I told the team this morning that Faizon had earned the right to be the starter (in) Week 1," Heupel said Aug. 24.
"Faizon gets the nod in Week 1. The expectation at the quarterback position is like at every position, that guys continue to grow and compete every day and continue to get better throughout the course of the season."
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The early-season picture also includes one notable absence on defense, with senior linebacker Arion Carter set to sit out the first game of the year after the NCAA cut his original suspension from two games to one. For Tennessee, that means the first look at Brandon will come with a slightly different feel on the other side of the ball, giving the opener a little more intrigue than a typical nonconference start would normally carry. [Read more 🡒]
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