With Tennessee set to hit the practice field for fall camp on Wednesday, the spotlight is already fixed on the quarterback room. Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre are the names in the middle of it, and Brandon made it clear he feels much more prepared than he did when he first arrived on campus.
Brandon said the summer helped him settle in, both with the offense and with the people around him. He pointed to all the 7-on-7 work and the time spent learning the system as major reasons he feels more comfortable heading into camp.
“I felt like my summer went pretty good with all the 7-on-7s we had and just learning the offense. I feel like I’m a lot more comfortable going into the fall with all the work I’ve been putting in and the push to be more comfortable.”
A big part of that growth came from getting extra work in with Tennessee’s receivers. Brandon said he spent time throwing with them, studying the offense, and going through walkthroughs on his own so the game would feel simpler once the pads came on.
“Just getting with them, throwing and even just going over the offense. Doing a lot of walk throughs by myself to make sure I know what I’m doing when I’m out there on the field to make it easier for everybody else. I would say the biggest thing was the walk throughs, extra throwing, lifting, taking it all very serious because I know what’s ahead of me.”
He also said he was in the facility nearly all day during the summer, describing a routine that kept him around the building from morning until dinner.
“Almost here from like, we got to get here around 8 to like 5:30 whenever we have dinner, whenever we’re done. I’d say I’m here almost all of the day.”
Brandon said the work has changed him in a noticeable way since he first got to campus. He described himself as stronger, faster and smarter, and said the coaching in the meeting room has played a big part in that.
“I definitely would say I’m a lot more different. I feel a lot strong and faster.
A lot smarter. Even with like Coach Joey and Coach Heup helping in the meeting room, I’d just say completely different than when I first got here for sure.”
That development has shown up physically, too. Brandon said he’s put on weight and muscle, feels better taking hits, and believes his arm is stronger now.
“I definitely would say I’ve gained a lot of weight, good weight. A lot of muscle.
Definitely would say I’m a lot more stronger with the hits and stuff. Definitely could get a lot more stronger, but does feel like I could take a few hits.
Got a stronger arm now I feel like.”
When asked about Josh Heupel’s track record with new quarterbacks, Brandon said the head coach’s background at the position matters. He also pointed to the support Heupel and Coach Joey provide in meetings.
“I feel like really just with him playing quarterback and knowing how to prepare a quarterback is the biggest thing of why they’re so successful. Just really how he is in the meeting room and Coach Joey. All the tools he has to help him develop us is I’d say the biggest thing with all the success he has.”
Brandon said he keeps things pretty simple when he’s away from football, spending time on video games or hanging out with teammates. He’s also picked up a new favorite inside the facility.
“For fun, I really just play the game or hang out with some of my teammates. Since I got here, I really started liking ping pong a lot. So whenever I’m in the facility and have nothing to do, I’ll play that.”
The freshman said he’s far more comfortable in the system now, though he still sees room to grow before camp gets rolling.
“I’d say a lot more comfortable than I was. Definitely some more growing to do, but I definitely am a lot more confident going into fall camp.”
Brandon also opened up about when the quarterback competition started to feel real to him. He said the situation changed after “the whole Joey thing,” which made him push even harder once he knew it was truly a battle.
“I’d really say after the whole Joey thing. I really didn’t know what was going to happen. I planned on coming here and working hard regardless, but after seeing he didn’t get his extra year, I would say it made me want to work even more harder knowing it was a quarterback battle now.”
The competition itself is not new territory for him. Brandon said the last quarterback battle he was in came during his freshman year of high school, when he split time with a senior.
“My freshman year of high school.”
“We split time. The guy was a senior.
We ended up splitting time every game. He’d play a quarter, I’d play a quarter and we’d be back and forth.”
His path to quarterback was not exactly linear, either. Brandon said he started playing the position in sixth or fifth grade, but he didn’t always want to be a quarterback. He played wide receiver and tight end, and only settled into the role after an injury forced him into action.
“I started playing quarterback in sixth or fifth grade. I didn’t always want to play quarterback.
I played wide receiver and tight end and stuff. I actually didn’t really like quarterback that much until the starting quarterback got hurt and I had to go in there and play it.
I kept playing it, and I eventually started to like it. Learned more about it and the ins and outs of it and stuff like that, and I started to love playing quarterback.”
Now, with a chance to lead as a true freshman, Brandon said he’s still learning how to grow into that role. He’s started trying to become more vocal during offseason work so that his voice already carries when the huddle gets bigger.
“I’d say yeah, (it’s tough). But, I’d say I’m starting to grow into more of a leader role now.
Just started really with the offseason workouts. Just talking to them whenever we’re doing like cone drills or conditioning.
Trying to motivate the guys, to start helping my voice for whenever we go out there and we’re in a huddle and they need me to say something to them. It’s just easier.
It’s not starting then, it’s starting in workouts and stuff like this so they already hear my voice.”
Brandon and MacIntyre have a competitive relationship, but Brandon said it’s a healthy one. He added that he’s learning from MacIntyre and even from Ryan Staub, taking pieces from each of them and trying to apply them to his own game.
“It’s definitely very competitive between us two. There’s some things he can learn from me and I can learn from him.
I take stuff from him, Ryan (Staub) all the time to apply it to my game because they do some great stuff, too. We talk in the facility.
We have a pretty good relationship, but it’s competing at the end of the day. It’s nothing bad between us, though.”
Having spring ball behind him also made the summer more productive. Brandon said the earlier work gave him a better sense of what it would take to learn the offense and prepare for opponents.
“For sure. It was definitely good to have that.
Spring ball really helped me prepare different for fall. Went a lot more harder because I knew what it would take to learn the offense and the scheme of an opponent.”
Asked about quarterbacks he admired growing up, Brandon named Cam Newton.
“I liked Cam Newton. That was when I was really young.
Kind of like around when I started playing quarterback. I liked him growing up.”
He has also had some contact with Tennessee legends. Brandon said he has spoken with Peyton Manning a little before spring ball, but Hendon Hooker has been the one he’s leaned on most.
“I haven’t talked to Peyton that much. Talked to him a little before spring ball.
But Hendon, I talk to him a good amount whenever he’s here or if he texts me or I text him. I’d say Hendon is the one who gave the most advice of anyone that’s played here.”
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