Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel benched starting quarterback Faizon Brandon against Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 3, turning to backup George MacIntyre.

Brandon, a former five-star recruit, beat out MacIntyre in a competition for the starting role during fall camp. Brandon struggled mightily in the first half against the Tigers, though, resulting in the change.

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The true freshman quarterback exited the game after completing 3-of-8 passes for zero yards and an interception against Auburn. He also rushed four times for negative-9 yards and fumbled, but it was recovered by the Vols.

"Faizon just wasn't operating," Heupel told the TV broadcast at halftime. "He wasn't feeling 100%."

Brandon has been up-and-down as a first-year starter, which was expected for a true freshman, regardless of his five-star prospect status. He entered the game having completed 58-of-93 passes for 697 yards with seven touchdowns, along with 49 carries for 139 yards with three touchdowns.

Brandon was sacked 10 times in Tennessee's 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas in Week 4, rushing 23 times for two yards while completing 17-of-29 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown.

The Greensboro, North Carolina, native was the No. 10-ranked player of the 2026 recruiting class, per 247Sports' Composite rankings. He was also the No. 3-ranked quarterback and No. 2 player in North Carolina.

MacIntyre, a second-year quarterback, completed 5-of-5 passes for 38 yards to end the first half after entering for Brandon.

Faizon Brandon stats

Here's a look at Brandon's stats this season before he was benched against Auburn on Oct. 3:

  • 2026: 58-of-93 passing (62.4%) for 697 yards with seven touchdowns; 49 carries for 139 yards with three touchdowns

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tennessee's Faizon Brandon benched for George MacIntyre vs Auburn

Source: Yahoo Sports