QB Brandon, No. 32 in 2026, devotes to the Vols

• Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterAug 3, 2024, 03:45 PM ET

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  Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.Four-star quarterback

Faizon Brandon, the leading uncommitted pocket passer in the 2026 class, gave his pledge to Tennessee on Saturday, marking a key recruiting win for Josh Heupel and the Volunteers.Brandon, No. 32 in the ESPN Junior 300, is the fourth-ranked pocket passer in the 2026 class, per ESPN. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound quarterback from Greensboro, North Carolina, dedicates to Tennessee after throwing for 3,026 backyards and 36 touchdowns with 3 interceptions last fall as a sophomore at Grimsley High School. Brandon now stands as the first member of Tennessee’s 2026 recruiting class, and leaves four-star pocket passer Ryder Lyons(No. 35 in the ESPN 300)as the last uncommitted top-10 pocket passer in the 2026 cycle.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Brandon noted Alabama, LSU and NC State among the finalists for his dedication, but informed ESPN his decision was made more than a month back. Still, Brandon took a last informal see to Tennessee last weekend, supporting his prepare for the future with another trip to the campus in Knoxville, which Brandon has checked out several times over the past 14 months.”It practically responded to all the concerns,” Brandon stated.” I needed to speak with some of the players to see how they liked it. The thing that stood apart to me was hearing what the

players needed to state about this personnel and how whatever is rolling there. Leading down, I have good relationships with the people there.”Brandon’s commitment closes a recruiting procedure that began with Tennessee in the spring of 2023. The Volunteers handed Brandon his first main Power 4 offer in June of 2023 after he attended a Tennessee camp ahead of his sophomore season. Brandon visited the program at least 7 more times before sealing his commitment on Saturday, forging an especially strong connections with Heupel and offensive organizer and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle along the method. “For them to be recruiting me for such a very long time was such a big piece in everything, “Brandon stated.”Building those connections is among the important things that have actually made them stand apart. All the relationships there, that’s what

made it the place for me.”Brandon will return for his junior season at Grimsley this fall after leading the program to the state 4A quarterfinals in his first season as a starter in 2023. At the next level, his prospective leans on a mix of pocket passer size and arm strength and hurrying ability on the ground that make Brandon one of the leading quarterback potential customers in a gifted 2026 class.If the Volunteers ultimately sign Brandon, and ink 2025 quarterback commit George MacIntrye later this year, Tennessee will mark four straight cycles with a top-10 quarterback signee after stopping working to land a top-10 passer in six successive cycles from 2017-22. Nico Iamaleava, the program’s top signee in the 2023 class, is set to take over starting tasks this fall, while 2024 signee Jake Merklinger(No. 8 pocket passer in 2024 )will factor into the program’s quarterback depth in Heupel’s 4th season.Brandon noted Tennessee’s quarterback momentum and the success of past Volunteers passers Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton in Heupel’s offense amongst the pulls in his dedication.”The advancement piece and me seeing that is truly something that stood out to me,”Brandon said.

“They understand how to coach quarterbacks.”Tennessee’s 2025 class is trending upward with four-star security Lagonza Hayward Jr. and outdoors linebacker Christian Gass amongst the current additions to the country’s

12th-ranked recruiting class, per ESPN rankings. With Brandon’s pledge, Heupel and Co. are off to a big start in 2026.