All-Time Tuesday: What Happened to the Last True Freshman Quarterback to Start Week 1 for the Vols

With Faizon Brandon set to start Saturday for Tennessee in the Volunteers' opening matchup of the 2026 season. The last time the Vols opened the season by starting a true freshman at the quarterback position was 22 years ago, in 2004, when Brent Schaeffer started. So let’s take a look back at how Brent did that season.

How Brent Schaeffer’s Career Went

1002utauburn2.MP#2212 -- SPORTS -- MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL Tennessee quarterback (7) Brent Schaeffer is tackled by Auburn's (48) Marquies Gunn (CQ) and (96) Wayne Dickens during first half action Saturday night. Tennessee's Arron Sears is at right. 10/2/2004 Tennessee quarterback (7) Brent Schaeffer is tackled by Auburn's (48) Marquies Gunn (CQ) and (96) Wayne Dickens during first half action Saturday night in 2004. Tennessee's Arron Sears is at right. Utauburn2 Mp2212 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Brent Schaeffer and Tennessee opened the 2004 season against UNLV. In the game, Schaeffer threw 10 passes, completing seven of them for 123 yards and rushing for another score, and did not throw a pick. He split time with fellow true freshman Erik Ainge, who threw for five fewer yards with a lower completion percentage, but did throw for two touchdowns.

The following game came against rivals Florida, and while Schaeffer started the game, he would only throw four passes for 40 yards, mostly being a rushing threat, while Ainge threw 31 passes for three touchdowns in a comeback win.

Despite Ainge’s dominant performance, Schaeffer still started against Louisiana Tech. Schaeffer struggled, throwing for just 50 yards while completing under 50% of his passes, but he did throw one touchdown. Meanwhile, Erick Ainge went 10-for-15 passing for 198 yards and three touchdowns in a win.

The Vols climbed into the eighth-ranked spot nationally ahead of their game against Auburn. Schaeffer completed just one pass on the night, and Tennessee got blown out by the Tigers.

Things just kept getting worse for Schaeffer as Ainge took over as the primary quarterback, with Schaeffer only attempting three passes over the next two games.

He would only appear in two more games the rest of the season.

He got into a fight in the spring heading into his sophomore season, causing him to get kicked off the team.

He would transfer to a Junior College where he would total 50 touchdowns and be named the top-ranked Juco player in the country by SuperPrep.

He committed to Ole Miss, and in 2006 he started all 12 games, throwing nine touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions. In 2007, he only appeared in six games at limited points throughout the season, going 1-5 in those games.

Overall, while his career, and his career at Tennessee might not have been all that it was projected to be, in a way, Tennessee did find a future star at the quarterback position in Erik Ainge.

With all of this being said, Faizon Brandon is expected to be better as a passer than Schaeffer ever was, and even though Schaeffer’s career did not pan out, that does not mean that Brandon will not.

Send your questions, comments, and hot takes to our email tennesseeonsi@gmail.com for the chance to be featured in an article!

Follow Our Social Media Accounts

• Follow Vols on SI on X (Click HERE)
• Follow Vols on SI on Facebook (Click HERE)
• Follow Vols on SI on Instagram (Click HERE)
• Subscribe to Vols on SI on YouTube (Click HERE)

Add us as a preferred source on Google