Head man Josh Heupel hasn't even announced his starting quarterback yet for the Sept. 5 dance with Furman, but it's time to triple down on the Faizon Brandon prediction. And should Brandon get the start, he'll be leading the Vols out of the tunnel ranked the No. 20 team in the country thanks to the preseason AP Top 25 poll, which was released on Monday.
For a team getting ready to welcome in a freshman starting quarterback, whether it be Brandon or George MacIntyre, that's pretty dang impressive. With that, let's go ahead and assume Brandon does win the job and doesn't lose it in 2026.
This means that it's going to be on him to make the voters look a bit foolish for having the Vols check in at No. 20. With Brandon signing with the Vols as a 5-star QB, the hype is there for him to deliver and play beyond his years. If that happens, then we'll look back at these preseason rankings as a bit of a joke.
BREAKING: Preseason College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/JL3USE6MnT pic.twitter.com/wImUOmUUg5
— On3 (@On3) August 17, 2026
Tennessee checks in at No. 20 in the preseason AP Top 25 rankings
On the flip side of things, Brandon could struggle mightily as the starting quarterback, and the Vols may end up falling out of the Top 25 by the end of the year. That's if people want to be pessimistic, but let's be optimistic in this case.
Hey, Brandon signed with the Vols as the No. 3 quarterback in the nation, and he's going to have a ton of help on offense alone in '26 if he's QB1. Desean Bishop is coming off a 1,000-yard season, and he'll be ready to take a ton of pressure off of Brandon. That's on Heupel to make sure the ground game is featured early and often on Saturdays this fall.
At wide receiver, yes, there's a ton of attention going to fellow 5-star true freshman Tristen Keys, but Mike Matthews is going to have the opportunity to be the top option for Brandon. There's plenty of reason to believe he's going to be the WR1 and fulfill his monster potential.
Defense is where there are question marks, especially with Chaz Coleman no longer with the program, plus the season-ending injuries to Jaedon Harmon and Edrees Farooq being downright deflating. Jim Knowles is going to have to earn his paycheck in trying to make sure the D as a whole doesn't skip a beat, but now is not the time to lose faith in the veteran defensive coordinator.
Heupel runs the show on offense, so that's nothing to worry about, but the sooner he can shut down speculation and name a quarterback starter, the more relieved the fanbase will be. Assuming it's Brandon, he too will have to earn his paycheck, as the Vols made him one of the highest-earners on the team without him ever playing a college down.
Some might say that makes the decision for Heupel even easier ahead of Furman, but that spot will be won (hopefully) in the next week or two. Tennessee being ranked No. 20 without a starter announced is eye-opening, but it speaks to the potential in Brandon, plus the talent for this roster as a whole.
That's a testament to Heupel's recruiting efforts, including holding off countless programs for Brandon. This might add extra pressure on him to be a stud in Year 1 and not look like an 18-year-old QB, but this kid has what it takes to be the guy for the Vols. We'll find out soon enough if that's the case.
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