Jerry Colquitt had patiently waited his turn.
The Tennessee quarterback was a fifth-year senior who almost beat out Heath Shuler for the starting job in 1992. Now, in 1994, he had a chance to display his talents.
But the Oak Ridge native never got off the runway.
Seven plays into his redshirt senior season, Colquitt suffered a torn ACL against UCLA at Rose Bowl Stadium.
That eventually led to a quarterback battle between two true freshmen, Peyton Manning and Brandon Stewart.
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Manning had the pedigree, the poise and the football IQ.
Stewart was more physically gifted with a stronger arm and more mobility. Some compared him to Heath Shuler.
Manning won the job, started in Game 5 and became the greatest quarterback in Tennessee history.
But he wasn’t elite right away. The Vols went conservative in a 10-9 win over Washington State. Then, he put up 38 points against Arkansas, 31 against South Carolina and finished the season with 52 points against Kentucky, 65 against Vanderbilt and 45 against Virginia in the Gator Bowl.
Nevermind that some Vol fans booed Manning in a 24-13 win over Memphis, wanting to see more of Stewart. That ignorance was magnified by the way Manning finished the season – and his career.
Manning was so good against the Hokies, Stewart, who declared days before the Gator Bowl he would return to Tennessee, transferred to Texas A&M days after the bowl. He could read the writing on the depth chart.
Manning finished his first year at Rocky Top by completing 89 of 144 passes (61.8%) for 1,141 yards with 11 touchdowns and six picks. He went 7-1 as a starter.
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Fast forward 32 years.
Tennessee will start a true freshman in the season opener for only the second time in school history.
Faizon Brandon, the five-star from Greensboro, N.C., will put his 6-foot-4, 225-pound physique on the line against Furman in UT’s season opener Sept. 5.
Brandon might put up gaudy numbers against the overmatched Paladins, but the real tests will come against Georgia Tech (Sept. 12) and Texas (Sept. 26).
It’s understandable why coach Josh Heupel would pick Brandon to start. He’s bigger, stronger, has a better arm, is a better runner than George MacIntyre. Brandon is also capable of making more big plays and more mistakes.
But that’s a tradeoff Heupel is willing to make.
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Brandon likely will more than double Manning’s freshman output. He will also have his share of ups and downs until he gains more experience.
Brandon won’t be the first true freshman quarterback at Tennessee to get an early baptism.
In 2004, true freshman Brent Schaeffer started the opener against UNLV. Not longer after, another true freshman, Erik Ainge, took over. Ainge had some bright moments, but he hurt his shoulder in Game 9 against Notre Dame on a Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half.
Yet, the Vols made the SEC championship game and beat Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.
Ainge was 109 of 198 (55.1%) for 1,452 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions in 2004.
Ainge became UT’s third-leading career passer and career touchdown passer.
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Another true freshman who played a key role was Casey Clausen in 2000. A preseason camp injury kept him out of the lineup until Game 3, when he guided the Vols to a 70-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
Clausen beat Alabama as a rookie and engineered 63 points against Arkansas and 59 against Kentucky.
Clausen was UT’s best true-road-game quarterback in history, going 14-1. (Manning was 13-3.) He finished second all-time at UT in wins (34-10), passing yards and passing touchdowns.
In 2000, Clausen was 121 of 194 (62.4%) for 1,473 yards with 15 TDs and six interceptions.
The most prolific true freshman season was turned in by Tyler Bray in just five starts.
Bray replaced a struggling Matt Simms in November 2010 and went 19 for 33 for 325 yards and five touchdowns in a 50-14 rout of Memphis.
He followed that up with 323 yards and five scores against Ole Miss. He had just 232 yards v. Vanderbilt, but blitzed Kentucky for 354 yards and two scores.
Bray led UT to a 4-0 November record, earning a berth in the Music City Bowl. Against North Carolina in Nashville, he was 27 of 45 for 312 yards and four scores.
In nine games and five starts, Bray set UT true freshman records with 125 completions, 224 attempts, 1,849 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. He ranks second in single-season passing yards and TD tosses.
In three seasons (he turned pro in 2013) Bray ranks fourth in UT history in passing yards and TD passes.
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Manning, Clausen, Ainge and Bray are arguably the four best true freshman quarterbacks in Tennessee history. And it’s noteworthy that each was much better in the second half of the season than the first.
Will Brandon etch his name among UT’s best rookie QBs?
Brandon has the supporting cast to succeed. He has the physical tools. And he has the offensive scheme that produces big numbers and is quarterback friendly.
The question is how long will it take to take command the offense.
My guess: Brandon will have far more passing yards and passing touchdowns than any UT true freshman in history.
And he’ll have UT fans as excited about his sophomore season as did Manning, Clausen, Ainge and Bray.
