When Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon suffered his shoulder injury but managed to return against Texas, it seemed like the Vols had avoided the worst-case scenario. Clearly, though, the 5-star true freshman is still being significantly bothered by the hard hit he took, which was apparent in his rough play vs. Auburn. Now, it's up in the air whether he'll even be able to suit up or not vs. Arkansas.
On Wednesday night, the initial injury report came out for the upcoming SEC showdown, with Brandon officially listed as questionable. Earlier in the week, Pete Thamel dropped the news that George MacIntyre is going to start, though Heupel did not confirm it during the SEC coaches' teleconference call.
With kickoff against the Razorbacks sneaking up on us, is there a chance that Brandon actually can't go? While the expectation is that G-Mac will start, not having Brandon as QB2 would be a bit concerning. If that ends up being the case, Colorado transfer Ryan Staub would become next in line against the Hogs.
Tennessee’s Faizon Brandon is questionable as he deals with that shoulder injury from the Texas game. pic.twitter.com/U5nK1Uu2Jy
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 8, 2026
Faizon Brandon's availability for Tennessee-Arkansas remains up in the air
When Heupel refused to go into detail about the QB situation during the coaches' call, it seemed like maybe something was going on behind the scenes. Now, it looks like we have our answer, as Brandon's hurt shoulder is not at 100 percent. That impacted his game in a big way vs. Auburn, which opened the door for him to be benched and for MacIntyre to take over.
As most of you know by now, Brandon's stats were abysmal: he completed 3-of-8 passes for zero yards and an interception. He got hooked, and while MacIntyre didn't blow anyone away with his 86 passing yards, the offense looked much sharper once he took over.
The same needs to be the case against Arkansas if he ends up starting, which, barring a shocker, looks to be the case. However, his playing at a high level is going to be even more important if Brandon has to sit out due to injury. That would not be ideal, especially if this turns out to be a multi-week issue, but we won't know for sure until the final injury report arrives.
Regardless, it's been a rough stretch for Brandon. He's clearly a bit off his game both physically and mentally, which sucks for such a young quarterback. The true freshman looked brilliant during his first three games, but SEC play is a different animal, and Brandon just wasn't ready to keep playing at a high level. The hope is the same won't be the case for MacIntyre against Arkansas, as countless eyes are going to be on him for this start, assuming he for sure gets the nod from Heupel.
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