Three Freshmen That Could See Early Playing Time This Season

These three freshmen could play for Tennessee this season.

Tennessee wide receiver TK Keys (80) during the Vols' spring football practice in Knoxville on March 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Tennessee signed a great 2026 class, filled with players who could become key players for the Vols in the future. In fact, some of them might be seeing the field sooner than expected. Here are three players who could see the field as freshmen.

TK Keys

Tennessee wide receiver TK Keys (5) during Tennessee football’s first preseason practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, Aug. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This was probably the easiest pick of the three. Keys was a five-star recruit in last season’s class, and he comes in with a lot of expectations. Although Tennessee has a very crowded receiver room, Keys could see the field at various points throughout the season. He graduated from high school in December and has been working in coach Heupel’s offense since then, so he will be very familiar with the system come September.

He brings explosive play capabilities to this Tennessee offense, and Andrew Ivins of 247 Sports compared Keys to Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb.

He did only play in four games his senior season because of a knee injury, but he should be back to 100% by now.

Brayden Rouse

Tennessee linebacker Brayden Rouse (52) and Tennessee linebacker Amare Campbell (55) during the Vols' spring football practice in Knoxville on March 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A four-star prospect from Georgia, Brayden Rouse shot up the rankings boards during his junior season, going from unranked to being a top-five linebacker in the country. After another great senior season, Rouse is ready to turn heads as a freshman.

Rouse has earned high praise from coaches over the past few months as he prepares for his first collegiate game in a little under a month.

Ivins compared him to Daiyan Henley of the Los Angeles Chargers. Even then, Rouse is a few inches taller than Henley and should put on more muscle over his college career.

With it being announced that Arion Carter will be suspended to start the season and Jaedon Harmon missing the entire season, it leaves an opportunity for Rouse to get on the field early in the season.

Faizon Brandon

Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon (11) warms up before the Orange and White game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, April 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A five-star quarterback in last year’s recruiting cycle, Faizon Brandon is currently in competition with George MacIntyre to be the starting quarterback in the fall. As of right now, Heupel has not announced who will be the starter, and ultimately it could be a few games until Tennessee truly knows who the guy will be going forward.

As a prospect, Brandon was compared to Geno Smith, a former first-round pick, by Ivins. Standing at 6-foot-4, Brandon can also be a sneaky threat running the ball and is a very talented passer. Reports have come out that he may be leading the battle to be the starter, but with fall camp just recently starting, the battle still remains. 

Even if he loses the battle, Tennessee is still likely to try to get him on the field at various points throughout the year.