{
  "id": 3047331,
  "title": "Tennessee Makes Decision on 5-Star Freshman as Starting Quarterback",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/tennessee-makes-decision-on-5-star-freshman-as-starting-quarterback",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T15:04:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/sports/ncaa/tennessee-makes-decision-on-5-star-freshman-as-starting-quarterback-12359253"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Tennessee Volunteers have officially selected their starting quarterback for the upcoming season against Furman. True freshman Faizon Brandon, a highly-ranked prospect out of Grimsley High School in North Carolina, has been chosen over veteran George MacIntyre. This marks the first time in over two decades that Tennessee has started a true freshman at quarterback. Brandon, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 225 pounds, was ranked among the top 10 prospects by Rivals Industry Ranking and No. 3 by ESPN. Last season, the Volunteers went 8-4 with transfer Joey Aguilar at the helm but lost to Illinois in the Music City Bowl. With a new defensive coordinator and a fresh quarterback, the Volunteers take on Furman in a crucial SEC game on September 5th at 3:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.",
  "summary": "The Tennessee Volunteers officially named their starting quarterback for their season-opening game against Furman.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}