The wait is over in Knoxville. After an offseason-long quarterback competition that stretched from spring practice through fall camp, Tennessee has settled on true freshman Faizon Brandon as its starter.
That’s a big deal on its own. Brandon will be the first true freshman to open the season as Tennessee’s starting quarterback since Brent Schaeffer in 2004. For a player with plenty of buzz around him, the job comes with both weight and opportunity right away.
Brandon’s reputation isn’t built only on what he does with the football. He has already made a name for himself away from the field, too.
In North Carolina, he helped change the landscape for high school athletes by winning a case in 2024 that allowed players in the state to earn from NIL opportunities. The move opened the door for athletes and families across the state, and Brandon did it with more than just himself in mind.
Once he got to Tennessee, he kept that same approach. He helped raise over $12,000 for Tennessee Children's Home after hosting a camp for kids, then matched the amount he raised to push the total even higher. He also showed up before Christmas as “Santa Brandon,” handing out toys to East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
On the field, though, the hype has always been there. Brandon was a major Tennessee target for a long time before he announced his commitment just days before his season opener for his junior year. He was the first commit in the Vols’ class of 2026 and quickly became the clear quarterback choice for the program.
The résumé is loaded. According to 247Sports, Brandon was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in North Carolina and the No. 1 player in the country at the position. He also put together a winning high school career, losing just one game as a starter and collecting major honors along the way, including Gatorade and MaxPreps Player of the Year in North Carolina in 2024.
His senior season never fully got going after a thumb injury in 2025, which kept him from chasing those awards again. Even so, the expectation was that he would have been right in the mix.
Now the next chapter starts in college, where Brandon has not yet played in a regulated game. But he’s already done enough to win the starting job in Knoxville, and Tennessee is turning the offense over to the freshman.
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 🡒]