It’s Faizon Brandon time in Tennessee.
Josh Heupel has tapped the five-star freshman to open the 2026 season as the Vols’ starting quarterback, putting Brandon in some very uncommon company. For Tennessee, true freshmen don’t usually walk straight into the job behind center. When they do, it tends to be memorable.
Brandon is only the second true freshman ever to start a season opener for the Vols. The first was Brent Schaeffer, who beat out fellow freshman Erik Ainge in 2004 and got the nod against UNLV. Schaeffer made the most of that first start, going 7-of-10 for 123 yards and a touchdown while adding 29 rushing yards and another score.
Tennessee split work between Schaeffer and Ainge through the first three halves of that season before Ainge took over as the main starter in the second half of the Week 2 win over Florida. Ainge went on to post 109 completions on 198 attempts for 1,452 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a true freshman on a Tennessee team that finished 10-3, won the SEC East and captured the Cotton Bowl.
Schaeffer’s Tennessee run didn’t last long. He transferred after his freshman year and eventually ended up at Ole Miss under Ed Orgeron.
Brandon also joins a list of other true freshmen who were thrown into the fire early for Tennessee, though not all of them were season-opening starters. Nico Iamaleava started the 2023 Citrus Bowl as a true freshman and completed 12 of 19 passes for 151 yards while rushing for 27 yards and three touchdowns.
Harrison Bailey started the final three games of the COVID-19 affected 2020 season and finished the year 48-of-68 passing for 578 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Brian Maurer started four games in 2019, though injuries sidelined him against Alabama, Mississippi State and Kentucky. Will McBride got the start against Missouri in 2017 and finished 16-of-32 for 139 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Josh Dobbs took over for the final four games of the 2013 season and showed the dual-threat ability that became his calling card, completing 72 of 121 passes for 695 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 189 yards and a touchdown.
Tyler Bray finished the final five games of the 2010 regular season and helped Tennessee go 4-1 to reach a bowl game. He also started the Music City Bowl loss to North Carolina. As a freshman, Bray threw for 1,849 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 125 completions in 224 attempts.
After Ainge was injured midway through the 2006 season, Jonathon Crompton got starts in losses to LSU and Arkansas. Against LSU, he was 11-of-24 for 183 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The next week at Arkansas, he completed 16 of 34 passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Casey Clausen made seven starts for Tennessee as a true freshman in 2000, finishing with 121 completions on 194 attempts for 1,473 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions.
And back in 1994, Jerry Colquitt’s injury in the opening game opened the door for both Peyton Manning and Brandon Stewart to play. Manning went 89-of-144 for 1,141 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Stewart completed 34-of-55 passes for 424 yards, one touchdown and one interception before transferring to Texas A&M.
In Other News...
Tennessee Fans Need To Know Neylands New Game Day Plan
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is rolling out a new traffic and parking setup around Neyland Stadium this fall, aiming to make football game days run a little smoother and a little safer. Fans who already have parking passes will be directed along designated routes and can also use shuttle options, while those without passes are being steered toward downtown parking and shuttle service instead of driving straight into the stadium area.
For Volunteers fans, the bigger change may be the amount of planning now required before kickoff. Several roads will be closed on game days, and the university is increasing police presence to help manage the flow of traffic around the stadium. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes adjustment that can make a long Saturday feel less chaotic, even if it means a different routine for anyone used to the old Neyland approach. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Is Finally Taking On Neylands Biggest Gameday Frustration
For years, one of the most familiar complaints around Neyland Stadium has had nothing to do with what happens between the lines. Tennessee Athletics, working with local partners, has now developed and tested new gameday traffic patterns that are set to go into place beginning with the 2026 football season opener, a move designed to make the trip to and from South Knoxville feel a lot less like a test of patience.
The plan spells out designated routes for fans with parking passes and gives guidance for those without them, while police and consultants will help manage traffic more aggressively on the back end to improve departures after events. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes fix that usually only gets noticed when it works, but for a stadium experience as big as Neylands, smoothing out the bottlenecks could end up mattering as much to fans as anything on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Freshman Gabriel Osenda Is Giving Vols Hope And A New Worry
Gabriel Osenda arrived in Knoxville in January and has spent preseason doing the kind of work that gets a young offensive tackle noticed quickly. The Tennessee freshman has been taking reps at both left and right tackle, and line coach Glen Elarbee has already put him in the same conversation as current starter Jesse Perry, which tells you how seriously the staff views his long-term upside.
The flip side is the part Tennessee has to watch closely. Osenda recently dealt with a lower-body injury severe enough to leave him in a walking boot and on crutches after the Vols first scrimmage, a reminder that promising linemen can go from intriguing depth piece to roster concern in a hurry. For Tennessee, the hope is obvious - a young tackle who could push for a starting job down the line - but so is the worry about how much time he can spend on the practice field between now and the opener. [Read more 🡒]