ESPN dropped its initial Top 300 recruiting list for the 2026 class this week as the spring and summer recruiting schedules begin to heat up.
Tennessee features a trio of players on the list out of the Vols’ eight total commitments so far.
The first player on the list for Josh Heupel’s class is Faizon Brandon at No. 8, a pocket-passing quarterback from Grimsley High School in Greensboro, NC. Brandon committed to Tennessee last August and provided Heupel and his staff with a true blue-chip gem to build the class around.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Brandon has all the traits to carry his success from high school to the collegiate level. Brandon has a cannon for an arm, has registered impressive numbers at the high school level so far, and has the frame to be a durable player in the SEC.
ESPN’s ranking for Brandon splits the other three top publications. 247 Sports and Rivals have Brandon as its No. 1 and No. 2 overall prospects, respectively, while On3 Sports has Brandon back at No. 34 overall in its rankings.
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The second player from Tennessee on ESPN’s Top 300 is from the Vols’ own backyard as Knoxville Catholic High School wide receiver Tyreek King comes in at No. 52 in the rankings. The 5-foot-11 receiver is ranked as a four-star prospect from ESPN’s services.
Rivals has the highest opinion of King at No. 28 overall, followed by 247 at No. 51, ESPN at No. 52, and On3 at No. 124.
The final Tennessee commit to land a spot in the rankings is tight end Carson Sneed from Old Hickory, Tennessee. Sneed also lands as a four-star prospect and comes in as the No. 232 overall player in the class. Rivals, meanwhile, has Sneed as the No. 108 player in the class.
Sneed has also been a longtime commit to Tennessee and revealed his decision just days after Brandon did last August. The Vols are going to have to work hard to keep the Top 300 prospect, though. Sneed is about to begin a six-team official visit tour this spring with North Carolina, UCLA, Ole Miss, Miami, Colorado, and Tennessee. The Vols will get the final visit of the tour on June 20.
To see ESPN’s initial 2026 Top 300 list from Monday, click here.
