Tennessee will entrust its offense to true freshman Faizon Brandon after the five-star recruit won an offseason competition with George MacIntyre.

Head coach Josh Heupel confirmed that Brandon will start the 20th-ranked Volunteers’ opening game against Furman on September 5th. He becomes only the second true freshman to open a season as Tennessee’s quarterback, following Brent Schaeffer in 2004.

“We named him the starter because we believe in the work that he has put in and how he’s continued to grow and play throughout training camp and through the second scrimmage,” Heupel said. “He’s earned that right. But, just like every position, you consistently evaluate. You look at the total volume of work, and he’s earned the right to start.”

Brandon arrived in Knoxville as one of the leading prospects in the 2026 recruiting class and enrolled early enough to participate in spring practice. The North Carolina native passed for 6,374 yards and 79 touchdowns during his high school career, adding 1,261 yards and 21 scores as a runner while helping Grimsley win consecutive state championships.

MacIntyre, meanwhile, possessed a year’s experience within Heupel’s system but had attempted only nine college passes while backing up Joey Aguilar last season. Tennessee explored the transfer market after Aguilar was denied another season of eligibility, yet ultimately chose between two quarterbacks without a college start.

“[Brandon]’s shown command and control of what we’re doing,” Heupel explained. “That’s fundamentals, technique, playing in the pocket, the run game and the RPO game. It’s all of it.”

“We break in May for a few weeks of vacation, and he’s in the building. Whether that’s in the weight room, the video room, walking through things on the turf or working on fundamentals. That type of mentality and attitude is a tribute to him and his growth. It’s why he’s continued to grow as fast as he has.”

The relatively forgiving opener against Furman will be followed by a visit to Georgia Tech on September 12th. Tennessee then hosts Kennesaw State before Texas arrives for the Volunteers’ SEC opener on September 26th. MacIntyre is expected to remain involved, with Heupel warning that the identity of the opening-day starter does not settle the position indefinitely.

“As we leave this room, it’s important that you take where you’re at and continue to work and compete,” Heupel said of his message to the unsuccessful candidate. “You don’t know when your number is going to be called, whether it’s Week 1 or Week 12.”

Florida, meanwhile, has made a more experienced choice for the beginning of Jon Sumrall’s tenure, naming Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo ahead of redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr.

Philo followed offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner from Atlanta to Gainesville and already understands the system Florida will install after its 4–8 campaign in 2025. His familiarity provided an operational advantage during a competition that remained close through the Gators’ second preseason scrimmage.

“We are preparing for him to be the starter for Week 1,” Sumrall said. “His biggest separator was his ability to operate the full offense at a little bit higher level right now.”

Philo appeared in eight games across two seasons at Georgia Tech, completing 59 of 102 attempts for 938 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. His only college start produced 373 yards and a touchdown from 21-of-28 passing against Gardner-Webb. Jones, meanwhile, made two appearances for Florida last season, completing 21 of 35 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

“Neither one is light years ahead of the other,” Sumrall said during the closing stages of the competition. “They’re both doing really good things. The thing they both had to continue to work on was who was going to operate best at the line of scrimmage. We cannot forget motions and shifts, and then protect the football and lead. Do both of them want to start? Yes. But they’ve done it the right way in the competition, and they have each other’s back.”

Philo will make his Florida debut against Florida Atlantic in Gainesville on September 5th, beginning the Gators’ attempt to rebuild under Sumrall after D.J Lagway transferred to Baylor.