Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel isn’t tipping his hand when it comes to the Vols’ quarterback battle between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon.

But the growing feeling over the last couple of months is that Brandon is the favorite to win the job.

One big reason why it makes sense for Brandon to be the guy is because he’s considered the quarterback with the higher ceiling. It’s reasonable to think that Heupel will want to get Brandon a year of experience under his belt as the starter before Tennessee enters what many believe is the program’s championship window in 2027.

Faizon Brandon’s ceiling is so high that he could be the top pick in the NFL Draft one day

Some fans are likely wondering just how much upside Brandon has as a quarterback.

Brandon, a former five-star recruit, was rated by 247Sports as the No. 3 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.

Despite the high ranking, Brandon didn’t really receive a lot of national hype — at least not compared to the hoopla surrounding quarterbacks like Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava, or Bryce Underwood.

A big reason why is because Brandon stayed fairly low-key during his recruitment. He committed to Tennessee on August 3, 2024 and he never wavered on his decision. There was just very little drama or noise around Brandon’s recruitment (he was busy leading Grimsley High School to back-to-back state titles).

But don’t let the lack of hype — which isn’t a bad thing — distract you from the fact that Brandon has unlimited potential.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy, in fact, coyly said last December that Brandon could be the future No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

And it’s not just because of Brandon’s physical talent — Loy says the Greensboro, NC native is “wired the right way.”

“Faizon Brandon is a special talent, one who is just scratching the surface of how good he’s going to be at the next level,” wrote Loy. “The 6-4, 200-pounder is elite in every sense of the word….Long term, I fully believe he’s a guy who will take college football by storm in the coming years. I see a potential Heisman winner and possibly the No. 1 overall pick one day if he reaches his potential and ceiling. He’s wired the right way, he’s ready for the spotlight, and he’s going to be incredible in college.”

That upside is why Tennessee has little choice but to give Brandon the reins in 2026 — especially if the Vols plan to truly compete for a national championship in 2027.

Brandon isn’t a finished product, and he’s going to have some growing pains as a true freshman if he wins the job, but the physical talent and the intangibles are too elite for him to sit on the bench this fall. He needs to play in 2026 to accelerate his development (rushing a player’s development isn’t my favorite thing, but that’s college football now) to be ready for the 2027 season.