There's no question that Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon has to be feeling pretty terrible right now. No one can blame him for that, as he went from stud quarterback in the first three weeks of the season for the Vols, to struggling against Texas, and then getting benched against Auburn. If anything, this must be an incredibly humbling experience for him.
However, that doesn't mean he has to let this define his first few starts at Tennessee. On top of that, it doesn't mean he has to become the next 5-star quarterback who failed to live up to the hype at the college level, which is exactly what we're seeing in real time with Bryce Underwood over at Michigan.
It's tough to compare these two because they're in different situations, but both were Top 5 QBs and ranked five stars coming out of high school - Underwood was No. 1 in 2025, while Brandon was No. 3 in 2026. Now, both youngsters may not even start in Week 6, but Brandon can still make sure he has a different story in Knoxville than the one people are fearing right now.
Faizon Brandon can't let a little Tennessee adversity ruin what could be a memorable Vols career
Let's play the guessing game a bit right now. Imagine George MacIntyre takes over as the starter for the rest of the season, which would be pretty dang eye-opening. Rumors of Brandon entering the transfer portal would go through the roof, with whispers among the fanbase starting to grow even right now.
The last thing he can do is quit on this team and his future with the Vols. It's just clear right now that the 18-year-old QB is not ready for SEC play, as he's playing a little timid and shy. Still, assuming he does lose his starting job, he could take the rest of the year to keep learning the offense and improve.
He was thrown into a difficult situation with his first SEC game being against No. 1 Texas, but the fallout from that was apparent against Auburn. Going 3-of-8 for zero yards and an interception was a brutal watch.
Still, Brandon has the benefit of only being a true freshman, while Underwood's future at Michigan could very well be up in the air if Tommy Carr takes over the Wolverines offense, which is what a lot of people are calling for after the shocking road loss to Minnesota in Week 5.
No one saw that coming, but Underwood just isn't living up to the hype. If Carr, a freshman, takes over, then it'd be essentially a lock that Underwood will continue his college career elsewhere next fall.
I don't want that to be the case with Brandon. Again, a little adversity might sting a bit of a teenager in his first year of college football, but it's going to be on Josh Heupel and the rest of the staff to remind him that they still have a plan for him moving forward. A setback of G-Mac taking over the offense can't be what leads to Brandon's eventual exit out of Knoxville.
In the first three wins of the season for the Vols, we saw exactly what Brandon was made of, making plays with both his strong arm and legs. The five TDs vs. Furman were brilliant, don't forget that.
Now, he's lost some swagger to his game, but all it will take is more experience and game action to get him back to a strong spot in future seasons. Brandon's story with Tennessee still has plenty of chapters left to be written. It will be on him to make sure a happy ending comes.
Add us as a preferred source on Google