Now that the official decision has been made by Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, it's time for fans everywhere to get behind Faizon Brandon and rally around him. The true freshman won the job at fall camp, and his future could not be brighter moving forward. At the same time, patience is going to be key.
There hasn't been a player with this much hype surrounding his name since the days of Nico Iamaleava on campus. Nico helped power the Vols to the College Football Playoff during his lone year starting for the program, with him turning heads quite a bit in 2024.
At the same time, countless Tennessee fans were beyond frustrated with the former 5-star prospect at times when he'd sail a throw, or after a Vols loss. People were ripping Nico to shreds after the upset loss on the road at Arkansas. With that, the same MUST be avoided with Brandon, as people need to remember that he's not going to be a First-Team All-SEC player overnight. Things are going to take some time here.
Breaking: Tennessee has named true freshman Faizon Brandon the team's starting quarterback, sources tell @PeteThamel.
— ESPN (@espn) August 24, 2026
He'll be the first true freshman QB to start for the Vols in a season opener since 2004. pic.twitter.com/Jvs4CyolQi
Tennessee fans must have patience with Faizon Brandon during Year 1 as the starter
It wasn't just the loss to Arkansas that had the fanbase irate with Iamaleava. Remember the 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the opening round of the College Football Playoff? The Buckeyes took away the Vols' lunch money in that one, and while Iamaleava did everything he could to get things going, the O was sluggish all night. Folks on Twitter let Iamaleava, Heupel and the rest of the team have it.
Again, this is something that can't be the case with Brandon, who's an 18-year-old youngster who won't turn 19 until next June. There are going to be some ups and downs for him in Year 1 in Knoxville; that's a given. With Iamaleava, he tossed for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns in '24, which was great to see, no doubt.
What can we expect out of Brandon? Honestly, something similar to Iamaleava's '24 stats would be just fine, especially since the hope is that DeSean Bishop has another 1,000-yard season on the way - Heupel is going to have to focus on the ground game to help take some pressure off Brandon.
At the high school level, Brandon was a total machine, throwing the ball all over the field, as he threw for nearly 9,000 total yards and 114 touchdowns in North Carolina. The SEC is a different beast, though, as opposing defenses will be ready to give him a rude welcome to the conference from start to finish this campaign.
It will be on the offensive line to help give him enough time to scan the field, while Brandon will have to do his best not to play 'hero ball' and not force some throws. That may come at times, but people have to be patient with him and not blast him on social media. Starting Brandon this year could help the team go on a serious run in the CFP 2-3 seasons from now. Keep that in the back of your mind if freshman mistakes are showcased in the coming months, please.
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