Teams nationwide are already recruiting for the class of 2026, and the Tennessee Volunteers landed the biggest recruit available. On Saturday, No. 1 ranked Faizon Brandon, a quarterback out of North Carolina, committed to Josh Heupel’s program in Tennessee.
Brandon made the announcement during a live stream on 247 Sports’ YouTube channel. It came down to several schools including Alabama, LSU, North Carolina State, and Tennessee. The elite five-star quarterback who is the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruit for the 2026 recruiting class made his decision to play for the Volunteers once he finishes high school.
“Now for the moment, ya’ll have been waiting for. After taking the time and carefully evaluating each of my top four schools, I feel the best place for me to play during my college career will be The University of Tennessee.”
At 6-3.5 and 197 pounds, Brandon has the tools necessary to be a superstar for the Volunteers. Brandon is entering his Junior year of high school but has already proven to be future stud in college football.
Heupel’s new quarterback commit is tends stay in the pocket and make the right throw. However, don’t sleep on his dual-threat ability. Additionally, Andrew Irvins, the Director of Scouting for 247 Sports reports that Brandon led all Sophomore’s last season in “completion percentage, yards per attempt and turnover rate” making him an incredibly efficient passer.
Brandon finished his Sophomore season with 3,026 yards 47 total touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a 69.0 completion percentage. He also led Grimsley High School to the quarterfinals of North Carolina’s 4A playoff during his first year as the starting quarterback.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel.
© Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports
This is a massive get for Heupel as the Volunteers will maintain its incredible depth in the quarterback room. Although Brandon won’t enter college for another few seasons, Tennessee is in a good spot for the long term. On top of that, it’s impressive that Heupel was able to out recruit both Alabama and LSU considering how prestigious those programs are in the SEC.
Tennessee will rely on Nico Iamaleava at quarterback this season. Iamaleava is a red shirt freshman taking over as the starting quarterback this year. He has a ton of hype around him as Iamaleava is a former five-star quarterback himself. He’s a large reason why so many believe the Volunteers could go on a magical run this coming season.
Heupel and the Volunteers are stacking together some great recruiting classes. Tennessee is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation for the 2025 recruiting class and now get a head start for 2026 after landing Brandon. It is important to note though, that Brandon could potentially flip at some time down the road, as this is technically a verbal commitment from the five-star quarterback.
