Josh Heupel's 5-star QB Faizon Brandon drops 5-word message amid Tristen Key's Tennessee visit

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has done a good job of recruiting since he started his coaching tenure in 2021. In 2025, the team put together the No. 11-ranked recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Heading into 2026, the Volunteers will try to break into the top 10.

One of their top commitments in 2026 is No. 1-ranked recruit, quarterback Faizon Brandon. The team is also pursuing some of the other top players in the 2026 class, including LSU commit and No. 3-ranked prospect, wide receiver Tristen Keys.

On Saturday, insider Ryan Callahan reported that Brandon took his official visit to Tennessee over the weekend:

"Five-star Vols QB commitment Faizon Brandon is taking his official visit to Tennessee this weekend. He’s back on campus to help the Vols recruit some of their top targets, including two other five-stars."

Brandon had a five-word reaction to this on X, showing his excitement at joining the Volunteers.

While he is committed to Tennessee, it is good for Volunteers fans to see him reiterate his excitement to join the team. Commitments are not final and can be changed. In fact, the Volunteers are trying to take advantage of this by recruiting a player who has already committed to another team.

Wide receiver Tristen Keys is one of the top recruits in the 2026 class and committed to coach Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers. However, he appears to be keeping his options open because On3 reported on Thursday that Keys was taking an official visit to Tennessee this weekend.

Faizon Brandon could be Tennessee's QB of the future after Nico Iamaleava's unexpected departure

Heading into the offseason, the Volunteers appeared to be set at the quarterback position for the foreseeable future. Nico Iamaleava was coming off a stellar season and was expected to stay with the Volunteers for the rest of his college career.

However, an NIL contract dispute resulted in Iamaleava entering the spring transfer portal and going to the UCLA Bruins. The Volunteers effectively traded quarterbacks with the Bruins, bringing in Joey Aguilar, who had transferred to UCLA earlier in the offseason.

Aguilar will likely be a stopgap QB next season, helping the Volunteers stay competitive in the SEC. However, they are clearly trying to bring in an elite QB through recruitment. If his commitment sticks, Faizon Brandon has the potential to be the Volunteers' QB1 for several seasons when he arrives in 2026.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Alexander O'Reilly