Tennessee made huge headlines over the summer when they landed a verbal commitment from quarterback Faizon Brandon, 247 Sports’ top overall prospect in the 2026 class.
Rivals rankings held Brandon as a four-star prospect when he committed on Aug. 3, but the organization’s latest class of 2026 update has the Tennessee quarterback commit soaring up the charts.
Rivals revealed their updated list of five-star prospects in the 2026 class on Monday morning with Brandon landing as the No. 6 overall prospect and a five-star recruit. Brandon was previously ranked as the No. 134 overall player, the No. 8 quarterback in the class, and the No. 8 player from the state of North Carolina.
The Tennessee commit now comes in as the No. 2 quarterback in the class and the No. 5 offensive player according to Rivals’ new rankings.
No. 6: Faizon Brandon | 5⭐️ QB pic.twitter.com/mz1yCBHGUb
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 19, 2024
More from RTI: Tennessee Commit Faizon Brandon Must-See Quarterback Highlights
Faizon Brandon became Tennessee’s first commitment in the 2026 class when he made his announcement in early August and gave the Vols a landmark piece to build the class around. The 6-foot-4, 191-pound quarterback helped lead Grimsley High School (Greensboro, N.C.) to the North Carolina 4A State quarterfinals as just a sophomore, throwing for more than 3,000 yards with 36 touchdowns to just three interceptions on the season.
The multi-sport athlete also averaged 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals as a forward on the hardwood last year.
“Accurate to the numbers, and has found plenty of success attacking the intermediate level, but deep ball placement can be a bit uneven,” 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins evaluated of Brandon in April. “Effective on designed runs with his acceleration and his natural twitch in both the upper and lower halves is ideal for run-pass options. Certainly benefited from throwing to a pair of Power Four wide receivers in his first year as a starter, but game tape shows a potential game-breaker at the next level that’s just starting to scratch the surface of what he could be, especially when you factor that he’s younger for the grade.”
Two weeks after Brandon’s commitment to Tennessee, the Vols received a commitment from David Sanders Jr., the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 class, who is also from the state of North Carolina.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel emphasized the necessity of recruiting the Tar Heel State during fall camp in August:
“It is important for us,” Heupel said of recruiting North Carolina. “It’s a border state. We continue or we believe, look at it, view it as a part of our footprint. We’re intentional in how we recruit that state.”
Two days after Brandon’s commitment to Tennessee, the Vols landed their second piece to the 2026 class with four-star Nashville tight end Carson Sneed. Sneed’s brother, Dayton Sneed, is currently a walk-on wide receiver with the Tennessee football program.
