Excitement is high about the future of Tennessee Football with five-star quarterback prospect Faizon Brandon waiting to sign this winter.
Brandon, a North Carolina State Champion as just a junior in high school, has been committed to Tennessee for nearly a year now. He varies somewhat on the rankings, but lands as high as the No. 1 overall prospect in 247Sports’ Class of 2026 rankings.
He’s got the tools that it takes to find success in the Josh Heupel offense. Brandon is accurate to both sidelines, has the pre-college strength to complete the deep ball, and, perhaps most importantly, has a sharp IQ from the quarterback position.
In a recent breakdown of all five-star prospects, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill stacked up Brandon’s early traits against a couple of players that have become well known in Knoxville over the last handful of years – Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton.
“Several recent Volunteers quarterbacks have similar stature, athleticism and arm strength,” Luginbill wrote. “Brandon is more advanced than Hendon Hooker at the same stage and the pair share several traits. Brandon is also much more accurate than Joe Milton.”
He also compared Brandon’s early talent to that of former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
“While he lacks Iamaleava’s polish at this stage, Brandon throws an exceptional deep ball, which is a requirement in this scheme that loves to attack vertically,” Luginbill wrote.
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Hooker is the most successful Tennessee quarterback under Heupel, winning the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award during the Volunteers’ breakout 2022 season. Whether it was Alabama or LSU, or something in between, fans in Knoxville haven’t forgotten Hooker’s impressive traits like the accurate long ball, quick decision-making, and ability to run the nation’s fastest offense.
When you put Brandon and Hooker in the same sentence, people are going to get excited. Just take a look at what 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins wrote about Brandon in May, and see which former UT player it reminds you of.
“(Brandon) uses a sturdy base and a smooth release to rip lasers to all different corners of the field,” Ivins wrote in an evaluation for Brandon. “Ball at times will jump out of his hands as he hits his short and intermediate targets with conviction. Has spent the past two years coordinating a single-back, spread attack that’s heavy on the RPO looks. More than capable of moving the chains on designed runs with his power and acceleration. Those same legs allow him to shake his fair share of pressure and he has proven to be a rather accurate distributor on the move as he can throw with both touch and anticipation.”
These are just early expectations and analysis for a high school quarterback who hasn’t even played his senior season yet. But there’s no denying that he’s an exceptional talent at this stage with the ability to grow and flourish in Josh Heupel’s system with the right coaching.
And the right teammates.
According to Luginbill, Brandon has been working hard on the recruiting trail to bring in elite talent to play around him.
“Brandon remains in near-daily contact with the Tennessee staff and has not engaged with other programs in 2025,” Luginbill wrote. “He is focused instead on helping recruit a 2026 Vols class that already includes ESPN 300 pass catchers in wide receiver Tyreek King and tight end Carson Sneed.”
After a summer surge on the recruiting trail, Tennessee’s 21 commitments rank as the No. 13 class in 247Sports’ 2026 comments. Brandon leads the Vols’ class as the top-ranked cornerstone.
