Tennesseefootball made Faizon Brandon a priority long before he was ranked 247Sports' No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class, and he has liked the Vols since he visited them for the first time more than a year ago. It turned out to be a perfect match that helped him make his college decision going into his junior year of high school.
The five-star Class of 2026 quarterback from Grimsley High School in Greensboro, N.C., announced Saturday afternoon that he has committed to Tennessee, giving the Vols an early commitment from 247Sports' No. 1 overall player in the 2026 class. Brandon chose Tennessee over LSU, Alabama and N.C. State, revealing his choice during a ceremony at his school that was streamed on 247Sports' YouTube channel.
The 6-foot-3.5, 197-pound Brandon became Tennessee's first commitment for the 2026 class. He made hisdecision official nearly three weeks before the first game of his junior season, continuing the Vols' trend of landing highly ranked quarterbacks under Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel.
Before publicly announcing his choice, Brandon told GoVols247 that he picked Tennessee because of "the relationships they've been building" with him "and how long they've been building." He said he also believes the Vols "know how to develop me into a great player" and added that "being coached by a head coach that played quarterback at a high level is a big thing for me."
He admitted that he has been leaning toward Tennessee since he made his first trip to Knoxville in June 2023, when he earned his first SEC scholarship offer with a strong showing at one of the Vols' camps. Since then, he has returned to Knoxville on a regular basis. His trip to Tennessee last weekend for its "Big Orange Kickoff" event was his eighth visit with the Vols within a span of less than 14 months.
But he didn't visit Tennessee last weekend to confirm his choice. He said he decided "a couple months ago" that he was sold on the Vols.
"Every time I went back, it seems like I'm just building a new relationship every time," said Brandon, who has already received offers from at least 25 schools. "This last time that I just went there, it seemed like I have good relationships with people on each side of the ball. You don't really get that everywhere, where you're able to talk about anything with anybody on each side of the ball."
Brandon said LSU finished second to Tennessee, which has signed a Top247 quarterback each of the past three years, including five-star Nico Iamaleava in the 2023 class. The Vols also received a commitment in January from four-star Class of 2025 quarterback George MacIntyre, a top-100 prospect nationally.
Tennessee football joined the race for Brandon before he made the first start of his high school career last year as a sophom*ore. He saidthe Vols had already been recruiting him for "a few months" when they extended an offer to him, and he quickly emerged astheir top quarterback target in the 2026 class.
"They definitely made me a huge priority from the start," he said. "That was definitely a big thing that caught my eyes with that. They were the only team that recruited me that hard for as long as they did."
Brandon said the Vols made it clear that he was important to them because of "how they say I'd fit" in Heupel's fast-paced offense. He said Tennessee also likes "the person I am, my personality and how I go about things, how I carry myself."
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The Vols made him feel like a priority, he said, with "how often they would call to check up (on me) and not only just talk about football, but just make sure everything else is good going on in my life and stuff like that." He said he has talked frequently with Joey Halzle, Tennessee's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, along with Heupel and offensive analyst Mitch Militello, who also works with the Vols' quarterbacks.
"I have a really strong relationship with all of them," Brandon said. "Coach Heup playing quarterback, he knows what it takes to be a great quarterback and how quarterbacks like to be taught. … Coach Joey playing quarterback, also, I feel like they know how to develop me into a great player and know how to handle me, and know what quarterback's like and how to teach them the right way."
He's also confident that he will be able to pick up Heupel's system and thrive in it once he arrives on campus.
"I think their offense, I've kind of learned some of the things that they have done, and it seems like I could catch onto it pretty easily, and (I have) started learning what they do," Brandon said. "That's something that really stood out to me —how easy Coach Joey makes it, how he teaches it. It's kind of easy to catch onto."
Brandon said he thinks Tennessee, which has won a combined 20 games over the past two years, is also on the right track entering the Vols' fourth season under Heupel.
"I believe that they're going in a very good direction with all the players they're bringing in," Brandon said. "I think they're going to have a great upcoming year. And all the coaches, how they follow behind Coach Heup, that's really a great thing. I think we're building something nice there."
Former Tennessee star quarterback Hendon Hooker, a fellow Greensboro native, has talked with Brandon about his experience playing for the Vols. Brandon said he has trained with Hooker's father, Alan Hooker, "a few times."
"Talking to (Hendon Hooker), he speaks very highly of Tennessee and says they do a great job with preparing you for the next level, so that's definitely something that stood out to me and knowing he wouldn't really tell me anything wrong because of how kind of close we are," Brandon said. "That's something that stood out to me."
Early Signing Day for the 2026 class is still more than a year away, but Brandon said he's "very confident this is my final decision." He said he wants "to graduate early" next year and enroll at Tennessee in January 2026, and he's ready to turn his attention to recruiting other players to join him there.
"I definitely want to start recruiting guys," he said before revealing his choice. "I know a few guys that are waiting on me to make my decision before they kind of make theirs."
