Tennessee’s defenders spent the past several months getting an up-close look at what makes Faizon Brandon difficult to handle.
Ty Redmond noticed how Brandon manipulates defensive backs with his eyes. Tyree Weathersby pointed to his ability to escape pressure. Jordan Norman went a step further, comparing trying to tackle him to chasing Lamar Jackson.
Now, those traits belong to Tennessee’s starting quarterback.
Brandon was named QB1 on Monday, ending a competition that stretched from spring practice through much of fall camp. As Tennessee turns toward its Sept. 5 opener against Furman, his teammates offered a revealing picture of the quarterback who emerged from it.
And it goes beyond Brandon’s athletic ability.
Wide receiver Travis Smith Jr. has experienced the arm talent firsthand.
“Man, for a young guy, his arm is strong,” Smith said. “Even if it’s a short five-yard route, he’s going to put some fire on it.”
The velocity is only part of what has impressed Smith.
Brandon has developed an understanding of where he wants to deliver the football before receivers come out of their breaks.
“He knows what he wants before the play,” Smith said. “So, you can’t be late on, you know, having your eyes over or, you know, it’s going to hit you in the head.”
Tennessee’s defenders have seen the other side of that development.
Redmond said Brandon has become effective at using his eyes to influence coverage before delivering the ball elsewhere.
“He does a real good job of like baiting the corner with his eyes,” Redmond said. “So, you know, you think he’ll make a play and then he just put the ball right behind you.”
Redmond also described Brandon as “real mature for his age.”
That maturity has become increasingly visible in Brandon’s leadership.
Smith said Brandon arrived with plenty of energy and quickly developed a strong relationship with his teammates. As the competition progressed, however, Smith noticed Brandon becoming more vocal.
“Now he’s taken it more of a serious role knowing that he is the QB,” Smith said.
Brandon communicates with receivers after plays about what he saw from the defense and adjustments they can make the next time they run a particular concept.
For Smith, naming a starter also gives the offense clarity as Tennessee transitions into game preparation.
“Now you have a feel of, you know, who your guy is,” Smith said.
If Brandon’s arm and processing have challenged Tennessee’s secondary, his athleticism has created another problem for the defensive front.
Norman offered perhaps the most colorful description.
Trying to get Brandon in the backfield, Norman said, is “honestly like trying to tackle Lamar Jackson.”
He recalled coming off the edge during a spring practice and believing he had Brandon contained. A moment later, Brandon escaped the pocket.
“I thought I had him,” Norman said. “Next thing you know, he was out the pocket.”
The play stuck with him.
Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
“That’s one of the plays that stuck out to me and was like, ‘Yeah, he can really be that,’” Norman said.
Weathersby has encountered the same problem.
“I would say his athletic ability is definitely like his strong suit,” Weathersby said, specifically pointing to Brandon’s ability to avoid defenders in the pocket.
The physical tools were never much of a question for one of the nation’s most highly touted quarterback prospects. Over the course of spring and fall, Brandon began pairing them with better command, anticipation and leadership.
Smith has watched that progression up close.
“He’s really grown up,” Smith said. “It’s great seeing a young guy like that being able to seize his opportunity.”
After months of competing for the job, that opportunity now belongs to Brandon.
