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Josh Heupel's elite recruit Faizon Brandon has unlocked another achievement, making Vols fans excited for their '26 quarterback.
On Wednesday, 247Sports dropped its latest Class of 2026 rankings and Brandon topped the charts, climbing from No. 12 (On3's) to the No. 1 position. He superseded former No. 1 prospect Jackson Cantwell and No. 1 QB Jared Curtis in the latest rankings.
247Sports posted the announcement on its X handle, to which Brandon replied with:
"Grateful🙏🏽 ," wrote Faizon Brandon.
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Aside from Brandon. 247Sports' Class of 2026 top recruits consist of Maryland commit Zion Elee, Houston commit Keisean Henderson, LSU commit Tristen Keys, Felix Ojo, USC commits Keenyi Pepe and Xavier Griffin, Lamar Brown, Georgia commit Jared Curtis and Miami commit Jackson Cantwell.
Brandon has been locked in with the Volunteers since August, but Alabama and LSU are eager to get him on board. In an interview with On3 in March, Brandon reasserted his commitment to Josh Heupel.
"LSU and Alabama both, they continue to try to recruit me heavily. But, I let them know that I’m 100 percent locked in," Brandon said.
He further added that he wants to maintain good relations with both of these programs.
"I won’t break any bonds or burn any bridges or anything like that."
"(I) Still want to just keep (the) relationships. Because you never know what can happen, so I don’t try to brush them off or anything like that. I just keep the relationship. But I tell them that I’m locked in with Tennessee, though."
Faizon Brandon likens himself to Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson
Faizon Brandon has been selected for the 2025 Elite 11 Finals, a premier event, bringing together the top 20 senior high school quarterbacks. It is scheduled from June 17-19 in Los Angeles, California. At the regional round in Atlanta, he shared his views on the event and likened himself to Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.
"I came out here and just really tried to do great on what I have been working on these last few weeks, and I came out here and did that. Brandon said. "I had a little (few) missed throws but just tried to keep the right mindset and to keep on working."
"I would say I try to... I know, I can't run like Lamar Jackson and stuff, but I try to do that, and I try to be like a playmaker like Patrick Mahomes. So, kind of mix of those two, try to model my game after that," he added.
Faizon Brandon is a product of Grimsley High School in North Carolina. In his high school career, he has covered 6,374 yards, 79 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, averaging 163.4 yards per game according to MaxPreps.
