He’ll enter the fold in less than a year.
The Tennessee quarterback position has been a hot topic over the last month, and it’s going to get even more interesting less than a year from now. In the spring of 2026, Josh Heupel will welcome in five-star, No. 1 overall player, Faizon Brandon.
Brandon committed to Tennessee in August of 2024 ahead of his junior year of high school. He ended up throwing 35 touchdowns against just two interceptions in that season, solidifying his ranking among the elite quarterbacks in the 2026 class. Brandon has remained firm with Tennessee to this point and now suddenly has an obvious chance at playing early in Knoxville following the Nico Iamaleava saga.
The Greensboro, North Carolina native checks in at 6-3, 197 pounds. He brings another big arm to the table, along with legitimate dual-threat capability. That athletic ability is further displayed by his abilities on the basketball court, where he averaged over 11 points per game as a sophomore.
At ESPN, Tom Luginbill detailed his future fit in Knoxville.
The departure of Nico Iamaleava could allow Brandon to battle for the starting job sooner rather than later in a very quarterback-friendly system. Several recent Volunteers quarterbacks have similar stature, athleticism and arm strength. 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. 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
Tennessee brought in veteran quarterback Joey Aguilar to fill Nico Iamaleava’s spot in the quarterback room. He’ll have one season of eligibility left, which obviously won’t affect Brandon in 2026.
The Volunteers will have two former four-star prospects on the roster, however. Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre both have a chance to start this fall and will have a big-time experience advantage in the offense on Brandon next spring. Whether either guy emerges this fall remains to be seen. If one does, it’s highly likely that the other could transfer — that’s just college football these days.
Either way, the future of the Tennessee quarterback room will eventually be in the hands of Brandon. He’ll be on campus once again in late June for his official visit, following up on several unofficial visits last fall and earlier this year. Others will surely make big pushes, but Brandon seems locked in with Tennessee, especially now with a clear path to the field.