‘The kid has some toughness to him’ – Top insider shares the latest on Faizon Brandon’s health ahead of Tennessee’s game against Alabama
Tennessee Volunteers true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon has been dealing with a shoulder injury the last couple of weeks.
One of the big questions surrounding Tennessee football right now is who’s going to start at quarterback for the Vols against Alabama on Saturday.
The answer to that question depends in part on the health of true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who started the first five games of the season for the Vols.
Sophomore George MacIntyre, who started the Vols’ win against Arkansas last Saturday, replaced Brandon two weeks ago in the first half against Auburn.
Brandon injured his shoulder in Tennessee’s loss to Texas late last month. He was available for emergency only against Arkansas.
Tennessee Vols insider shares the latest on Faizon Brandon’s shoulder
VolQuest’s Austin Price joined 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Tuesday, and he was asked about Brandon’s status ahead of Tennessee’s matchup against Alabama this weekend.
“He went through warm-ups on Saturday (before the Arkansas game),” said Price. “He was throwing the ball down the field 30 or 40 yards. It’s an AC joint for Faizon. He’s just got to continue to rehab it and continue to get better. He’s more healthy now than he was two weeks ago.
“I still think another week probably doesn’t hurt him, but the kid’s got some toughness to him. That’s why he played in the Auburn game. He pushed through when maybe others wouldn’t have at other places, and that might have hurt him. But again, I like the toughness. I like the grit.”
Vols head coach Josh Heupel, at least to this point, isn’t naming a starting quarterback for the Alabama game.
MacIntyre, however, is the most likely option after playing well against Arkansas last weekend.
There’s also the fact that Brandon just hasn’t practiced much since suffering the injury against Texas.
“Faizon, in my opinion, has got to stack practice days,” said Price. “He needs to practice some this week if he’s wanting to try to get his old job back. That’s my opinion. I think you’re not doing him — and he’s not doing himself — any favors if he continues to just watch Monday through Friday, and then has to go out there and play with the bad shoulder on Saturday.”
Heupel believes it’s a competitive advantage to not reveal his starting quarterback, so it feels like it’ll be another week of keeping fans and media in the dark.
