True to his tradition of landing an elite quarterback in every single recruiting class, Josh Heupel has now added one from North Carolina for 2026. Tennessee Football went from a Tayven Jackson (who has since transferred) to the splash in Nico Iamaleava to Jake Merklinger to another splash in George MacIntyre.
Now, after those four from 2022 to 2025, the Vols have landed a commitment from top quarterback Faizon Brandon. A four-star and the No. 4 ranked passer on 247Sports Composite, Brandon is actually the No. 1 prospect across the board on 247Sports general. He announced his commitment with a live online video.
Standing between 6’3″ and 6’4″ while weighing 197 pounds, Brandon hails from Greensboro, N.C., and attends Grimsley High School. The Guilford County prospect has been on the Vols’ radar for a while and is the first Tennessee Football commitment for 2026.
Brandon’s success proves Heupel’s system makes the Vols a destination spot for quarterbacks. After all, he is going to have competition with MacIntyre in 2026 to potentially replace Iamaleava, and don’t sleep on Iamaleava potentially remaining with the program that year. Merklinger isn’t a guarantee to leave either.
Simply put, with or without Iamaleava, the Vols and Heupel are now loaded with options there going forward. Heupel is clearly getting prospects at the position to accept a discount because they are excited about his system, and he can’t even sell them playing time. That’s how desirable his system is.
Although his deep ball is not as pretty as Iamaleava’s, Brandon actually can be deadly accurate in the short field. He’s a pocket passer with a great level of mobility, and his highlight reel shows he can thread the needle down the sideline.
As a result, Tennessee Football should have an elite red zone offense if the Vols choose to go with Brandon in the future. However, that’s a long way away, and this just assures that they aren’t going to have any issues at the position under Heupel long-term.
