Faizon Brandon has already shown Tennessee something it can build on: the freshman quarterback doesn’t look rattled, and his teammates are noticing.
Inside the huddle at Georgia Tech, Brandon’s voice was the one cutting through the noise. Even when the No.
14 Vols were in a tense spot early, after a blocked punt put them behind in the first quarter, he kept his instructions sharp and steady. Left tackle David Sanders Jr. said the way Brandon carries himself tells the story.
"I would say overall, just the way he carries himself tells us the story that we need to know," David Sanders Jr. said on Sept. 15.
"When you say encouraging or being that leader, just his voice - he's not shaking, he's not stuttering. He's saying it clear as day so we can understand what he's saying."
That calm has been a defining trait for Brandon, who is the youngest starting quarterback in Tennessee football history. His first road start came in the Vols’ 45-24 win over Georgia Tech on Sept. 12, and it was also his first game against an FBS opponent after he accounted for five touchdowns the week before against Furman.
The moment that seemed to stick with Sanders came late in the first quarter, with Tennessee facing a critical fourth down. Brandon looked his teammates in the eye and told them they were getting the first down. Then he went out and made it happen.
He took the snap, pulled back a handoff and rolled right toward tight end Ethan Davis. With Davis covered and pressure closing fast, Brandon planted his foot, stopped on a dime and let the defender fly past.
That created a lane, and Brandon burst ahead and dove for the first down. Tennessee finished the drive with points, the first of 24 straight.
Sanders said he told Brandon on the bus ride to the airport how much he liked what he saw. The quarterback was handling protections, trusting the people around him and not forcing anything. "He just never flinched," Sanders said.
The stat line wasn’t spotless. Brandon completed 10 of 21 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, and Tennessee leaned heavily on the ground game, which piled up 299 yards and three scores.
Now the schedule turns much sharper. Tennessee, now 2-0, hosts Kennesaw State on Sept. 19 at Neyland Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:45 p.m.
ET on SEC Network. After that comes a much bigger stage: No.
1 Texas on Sept. 26 at noon on ABC, followed by three more games against teams ranked in the top 10 - No. 7 LSU, No.
8 Texas A&M and No. 10 Alabama.
What Brandon does in those spots will go a long way toward defining his season. For now, the Vols have seen enough to know the huddle is in good hands.
In Other News...
Tennessee's Loaded Offense Could Have One More Freshman Problem Soon
Tennessees offense already has the look of a unit built to stay dangerous for a while, but ESPN thinks the Vols may not be done adding playmakers to the picture. The latest name to watch is five-star running back recruit David Gabriel-Georges, who checks in at No. 13 overall in the SC Next ESPN 300 and arrives with the kind of power, balance and explosiveness that can make a freshman hard to keep off the field.
For Tennessee, the appeal goes beyond simply landing another elite recruit. Gabriel-Georges has the traits to contribute early and eventually grow into a featured role, which matters for an offense that could be looking ahead to a post-2026 backfield if DeSean Bishop moves on to the NFL. Even in a loaded room, the Vols have a chance to turn a highly rated newcomer into the next major piece of the attack. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee-Texas Just Added More Intrigue For Frustrated Vols Fans
Kenny Chesney helped put Tennessees Sept. 26 matchup with Texas back in the spotlight during an appearance on ESPNs First Take, where the Knoxville native was on hand to promote his new tour and ended up talking football instead. The Volunteers are set to host the Longhorns at Neyland Stadium in the annual Checker Neyland game, with ABC carrying the broadcast and a Noon ET kickoff currently on the books.
For fans already frustrated by the timing, the attention only added another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight on the schedule. Stephen A. Smith raised the possibility the kickoff could still be changed, leaving Tennessee supporters with one more wrinkle to monitor as the date draws closer and the buildup to one of the seasons biggest home games keeps growing. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Have One Reason To Expect A Stress-Free Saturday
Knox News took a different route in previewing Tennessees upcoming game against Kennesaw State, running 100 simulations of the matchup on EA Sports College Football 27. The results pointed to what Vols fans probably hope to see on a fall Saturday: Tennessee controlling the game early and often, with the model projecting an average score around 51-17 and plenty of room for the offense to settle in.
The simulations leaned heavily toward a comfortable finish for Tennessee, which fits the broader sense that this is a game the Vols should handle without much drama. There were statistical trends worth watching in the breakdown, along with reporter notes on how the matchup could play out, but the larger takeaway was hard to miss: if the real game follows the video-game script, Tennessee should spend most of the afternoon in command. [Read more 🡒]