Greg McElroy reacts to Faizon Brandon winning Tennessee starting QB job
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Tennessee Volunteers are looking to get back on track after a lackluster 2025 campaign that ended with an 8-5 record and a 4-4 mark in SEC play.
Leading the way for this gridiron resurgence will be uber-talented true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who head coach Josh Heupel recently announced as the team’s starting quarterback after winning the job in fall camp over sophomore George MacIntyre.
ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy reacted to Brandon earning the starting role in a recent episode of the Everything College Football podcast, saying that the contest “wasn’t particularly close” in camp.
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“By the end of camp, it wasn’t particularly close,” McElroy said. “It wasn’t flawless by any stretch, he’s facing a lot of pressures and different looks from Kim Knowles, and at times maybe he wasn’t quite patient enough with his protection. But, it doesn’t really matter because he’s got legs.”
Brandon, who was a consensus 5-star recruit in the 2026 cycle and the third-ranked player overall in the country, will be the first true freshman to start at quarterback in a season opener for the Volunteers since Brent Schaeffer did so back in 2004.
He’s certainly got all the tools to become a star in Heupel’s high-octane offensive system, and everybody in Rocky Top is hoping to see some early star power from the 18-year-old this fall.
