Despite Joey Aguilar not getting his extra season with Tennessee and Josh Heupel, maybe things aren't going to be looking so gloomy after all? Hey, it'd be understandable if maybe, just maybe, some Vols fans may not be too high on the potential for this season with a new starting quarterback set to take over the offense, while the 5-star Chaz Coleman drama ended in disaster.
Leave it to Faizon Brandon to save the day for Tennessee this campaign? It wouldn't be fair to put too high of expectations on the true freshman signal-caller, especially since he hasn't even been named the Week 1 starter by the Vols yet.
However, with Tennessee ranked No. 18 in the Preseason Coaches Poll, something tells us the rest of the country does indeed have high expectations for the Vols, with the defense looking to be stout and the offense ready to be humming once again. In order for that to happen, Brandon, assuming he's going to win the job, will have to be at his best despite still being 18 and not turning 19 until next June.
BREAKING: College Football Preseason Coaches Poll👀https://t.co/gnEe967fmH pic.twitter.com/W2xBYGZWYe
— On3 (@On3) August 4, 2026
Tennessee ranked No. 18 in the Coaches Poll is a sign of good things to come
With the greatest of respect for Heupel and his staff, No. 18 is definitely higher than a lot of people thought the Vols would be at, especially after UT's major splash to bring in Coleman backfired - Coleman won't be suiting up for Tennessee this season, leaving a major hole for the pass-rush as a whole.
Still, Tennessee features a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, especially on offense. Running back DeSean Bishop, a former walk-on, is poised for another big year after turning heads in 2025. At wide receiver, there's also a ton of buzz for 5-star wide receiver Tristen Keys, while this could be the year where everything comes together for Mike Matthews.
And there's, of course, Brandon, who signed with Tennessee ranked the No. 3 signal-caller in the country for the 2026 class. The North Carolina product has all the tools necessary to be a stud for the Vols, as he can hurt you with his cannon for a right arm, while also being elusive with his legs. That's something Heupel will take advantage of.
With Brandon graduating from high school early too and participating in spring ball, it gave him extra experience to get ready for this upcoming season. George MacIntyre, of course, wants to win this QB battle too, but as discussed several times before, the ceiling is much higher if Heupel rocks with Brandon for the dance with Furman on Sept. 5 and for the rest of the campaign.
Could Brandon have a similar season to what we saw from Nico Iamaleava as a redshirt freshman in 2024? Iamaleava had his ups and downs in Year 1, but he ended up powering Tennessee to the College Football Playoff. Again, we don't want to put pressure on Brandon, but with UT at No. 18 in this poll, it means the Vols might be within striking distance of the CFP if everything goes to plan, and some luck happens to be on their side. It could all come down to Brandon. Time to show us what you got, young man.
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