The fact that fall camp is sneaking up on us is a bit wild, as Tennessee and Josh Heupel are ready to take the gridiron come Aug. 5. Obviously, there are some burning questions that still need to be answered. At the top of the list - who is going to be the starting quarterback for Week 1 between Faizon Brandon and George MacIntyre?
Heupel isn't tipping his hand at all here, making it clear that no final decision will be made until some point during fall camp. We get it. MacIntyre has earned the right to push for the starting job, as he's now getting ready for his second fall camp in Knoxville.
At the same time, no one can argue with the fact that the ceiling for Brandon is much higher than that of MacIntyre's. Heupel surely is in a tough spot, but after breaking the bank to bring in Brandon, a 5-star signal-caller, the decision here should be a simple one for the Vols. Yup, Tennessee needs to make sure Brandon is leading the offense out onto the field come Sept. 5 against Furman.
On3’s Pete Nakos projects that Faizon Brandon will start for Tennessee in 2026 🍊
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) July 15, 2026
Nakos gave his latest projections for each starting quarterback across the SEC, and tabbed Brandon has the current favorite to land the job for the #Vols.
“Sources through the spring and now into… pic.twitter.com/mbPqrNYPuV
Josh Heupel needs to rock with Faizon Brandon as his starting QB in 2026
When Brandon committed to Tennessee, he was a five-star prospect, and the No. 1 quarterback in the country. You don't get that ranking from 247Sports unless you're the real deal. It's easy to understand why Heupel did everything possible to make sure Brandon signed with the Vols and no one else.
We all got our first look at Brandon during spring ball, with him showcasing his talents in a big way. At the same time, there were some freshman mistakes on display, which were expected. Those same kinds of mistakes, including overthrows and not making the right reads, should be expected this fall too if he's named QB1.
We're alright with that. Brandon's 2026 could look similar to what everyone saw out of Bryce Underwood in 2025. He didn't live up to his 5-star billing, but Underwood still showed flashes of brilliance in his debut college season. Now, Underwood has spent this offseason working on his mechanics, with a new throwing motion being the talk of Ann Arbor. He could be in line for a big year.
That same avenue could be in the works for Brandon, but we're all waiting on Heupel to make a final call. If MacIntyre doesn't win the job, it'd be safe to assume he could end up entering the transfer portal next offseason in the same way that Jake Merklinger did. Merklinger has since signed to play for UConn.
That's of course a worry for Heupel, but it's obviously not going to stop him from making the decision that he thinks will be best for '26 and the future. Again, Brandon is going to have some issues if he starts as a true freshman, but imagine what a full year leading this team will do for him once '27 and '28 get here. Tennessee isn't going to push for a natty this year, but could a deep CFP run come in the next few seasons? That's the hope, and Brandon no question will give the Vols the best chance to make that happen.
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