Tennessee football is going to have an inexperienced quarterback at the helm of the offense this season. Whether the winner is true freshman Faizon Brandon, redshirt-freshman George MacIntyre or Colorado transfer Ryan Staub, it’ll be a new face calling the shots.
Heading into fall camp, the starting job remains an open competition. However, the buzz is around the five-star freshman, Brandon, winning the battle and taking over Josh Heupel’s offense. This hype grew even more this past week when CBS college football insider Brad Crawford named Brandon an SEC freshman to watch in 2026 after talking to sources across the conference.
“… Brandon’s combination of arm strength, poise and mobility is an ideal fit for Heupel’s aggressive, vertical offense, and sources around the program have been impressed with his rapid ascension since enrolling in January,” Crawford wrote. “His physical gifts have never been in question, but it’s Brandon’s confidence, command and ability to bounce back from mistakes that have accelerated the hype. If he wins the starting job over George MacIntyre during fall camp, don’t be surprised if Brandon becomes one of the SEC’s most impactful freshmen by season’s end.”
Talked to several sources around the SEC for this one, lots of true freshmen this season will be impact players: https://t.co/zls363RPcr pic.twitter.com/kcD09EFfO5
Advertisement— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) July 6, 2026
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Brandon joins Tennessee as one of the top recruits in the nation this past cycle. According to 247, he ranked as a five-star, No. 3 overall recruit, No. 3 quarterback and No. 1 player from North Carolina. He is from Greensboro, North Carolina, where he played for Grimsley.
“First of all, Faizon’s a great player,” Heupel said on signing day. “We had an opportunity to watch him on the basketball court, extremely explosive, great touch, had great presence and bodies in motion. You see that on the football tape, obviously as well. He’s played at an elite level for a long time. His body continued to develop. He’s got a great mind. He’s extremely quick-minded. You combine all those factors, really excited about having him in the quarterback room and competing next fall.”
One of the two higher-ranked recruits on 247 was Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis. Curtis is expected to be the Commodores’ starter this year, but was not included on the watch list.
