Over the weekend, Tennessee Football made a splash for 2026 as the Vols picked up their first commitment in that class, a quarterback in Faizon Brandon who is widely considered a top four prospect and in some cases the No. 1 prospect. Momentum from that helped UT pick up another prospect for that year on Monday.
In-state tight end Carson Sneed, a 247Sports Composite four-star out of Nashville, announced his commitment to the Vols. Sneed, who stands above 6’5″ and weighs 235 pounds, hails from Donelson Christian Academy. The Davidson County, Tenn., prospect is the younger brother of UT wide receiver Dayton Sneed.
Although he’s from within the state, and although he has a family member on the Tennessee Football team, Sneed was targeted by the Ohio State Buckeyes, Auburn Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels and Louisville Cardinals. Those are all heavy hitters.
As a result, while it may be easy to see him committing to the Vols, his decision to commit this early had to involve another factor. That other factor is clearly the momentum Josh Heupel has built not just for 2026 but for 2025 as well. Remember, those guys will be his teammates too.
Heupel has loaded up on the 2025 Tennessee Football recruiting class, pushing them into a borderline top five group, and he’s far from done. He’s even added elite tight ends there, flipping one from the Oregon Ducks, and that didn’t scare off sneed.
Don’t get it twisted, though. There’s no way to think this isn’t connected to Brandon’s commitment over the weekend. Now, it’s 100 percent clear that after Nico Iamaleava, the Vols will have a good quarterback. Brandon, Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre can’t all fail.
As a result, it’s safe to assume Sneed saw that and wanted to be a part of UT’s elite quarterback play that’s coming. Sneed’s highlight reel shows great hands, a willingness to catch passes in coverage and an ability to outrun defensive backs.
Take all of this with a grain of salt, though, as he is coming from a private Christian school. It’s not likely his leagues is great, and Nashville kids can be overvalued. However, Tennessee Football and Heupel continue to be on a roll, and given the schools who wanted him, he’s likely a great pickup.
