Much has been said about Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon's rough showing against No. 1 Texas on Saturday. No one can deny the fact that Brandon very much looked like an 18-year-old quarterback making his first SEC start. Still, he showed flashes of potential, and everyone should remember his future remains oh so bright.
With that, the training wheels need to keep getting removed as the season progresses, with Brandon taking some shots being at the top of the list. Head man Josh Heupel reminded his quarterback of this, sharing with the media that he has informed his signal-caller that he's got to be willing to take some risks when he's scanning the field. We did not see enough of that vs. the Longhorns until it was too late.
"Well, I think going back... not reckless decisions," Heupel said on what he wants to see out of his QB. "But in Saturday's game there were windows, opportunities, timing, whatever it may be, where he's gotta let it rip. There were things that he saw and things that maybe he missed, but that's a part of growing as a quarterback."
Tennessee HC Josh Heupel on QB Faizon Brandon being more aggressive:
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) September 28, 2026
"Not reckless decisions, but in Saturday's game, there's windows and opportunities, timing, whatever it might be, where he's got to let it rip."
Josh Heupel needs to see Faizon Brandon 'let it rip' and it begins in Week 5 vs. Auburn
Heupel isn't wrong here. While Brandon was getting heavy pressure all game long due to terrible play from his offensive line, he needed to take advantage of the plays where the guys in front of him actually gave him time to make some magic happen. On several occasions, Brandon missed guys who were wide open. How?!
Whether it was making the wrong read or being hesitant in letting the ball fly, those issues came back to haunt Tennessee in the deflating 20-17 loss. Leading up to kickoff, everyone knew that Brandon was going to have to play beyond his years for an upset win to get posted, but he just didn't live up to the hype.
That doesn't mean he's not going to be able to turn this around. Come this weekend, Neyland Stadium is once again going to be packed to the brim with Alex Golesh and the Auburn Tigers making their way to town. No. 17 Tennessee is in dire need of a bounce-back win, and it all starts with how Brandon can look, along with the offensive line doing a 180.
Against Texas, the true frosh QB completed 17-of-29 pass attempts for 145 yards and a touchdown. He's simply got to get back to playing at a high level and not be too afraid to take some shots down the field. Like Heupel said, he doesn't want Brandon to be reckless, but the young signal-caller also can't be timid or hesitant to attack the Tigers' defense.
Golesh will work to put pressure on him and see if a repeat performance of the 10 sacks Texas posted can be achieved. Good luck, as Glen Elarbee has to know that he's going to be coaching for his job in the coming weeks. With that said, if the line delivers for Brandon and he listens to Heupel's advice, better results will be coming for the Vols, including a (hopefully) convincing win against Auburn.
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