Top 2026 QB Faizon Brandon talks cornerstone commitment to Rocky Top
The 2026 recruiting class has a massive first addition as the top ranked quarterback in the country, Faizon Brandon chose the Vols over Alabama, LSU and others. Before announcing, he spoke with Volquest to discuss his pledge.
“Really I just have a great relationship with the top on down,” Brandon said of his reason for wearing orange. “From head coach, coach Heup to coach Joey to the assistant quarterback coach, coach Mitch (Militello). I have a great relationship with all of them. I just feel like this is the perfect fit for me and I know I’m going to be developed here and pushed to my best.”
And Brandon has known it was Tennessee for a while now.
“Ive kinda knew for a while but I wanted to make sure I got to everybody else,” Brandon said. “Just seeing how easy it is here. The relationship I have with coach Heup and him calling me. It’s not like that everywhere else where the head coach is calling you trying to speak to you. That’s really a big thing about Tennessee.”
Brandon has been to Tennessee a lot since picking up an offer last June. He loves the scene on Rocky Top.
“Just the feel I get here,” Brandon said. “It’s a great feel every time I come here. That’s what kept bringing me back. I wanted to learn more about the system and more about the people here. I learned a lot by coming back.”
His appreciation for Josh Heupel was very apparent when talking to Brandon. The success that he has had as a coach, and as a former quarterback, definitely left an impression.
“He is a very quarterback friendly coach and he knows what it takes to be a great quarterback,” Brandon said. “What quarterback’s like and what they don’t like and how to coach them. He has the right coaches around him that he has taught and can teach me and develop me.”
And then there is offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, who has developed a nice routine of building bonds with high end signal-callers.
“The relationship they build and how they build it,” Brandon said of Halzle. “Making sure you are okay and you are good outside of football. They have the football part taken care of so they do a great job of support and checking up on you and a great job of teaching. That’s the main thing about him.”
So what is Tennessee getting in Brandon? He is quick to point out some of the intangibles off the field while also discussing things that college coaches have told him about his play on the field. 
“I feel like I’m a great person and a great student,” Brandon said, “My parents don’t let me do anything without my grades being good so they are getting a great student and student athlete overall.
“My arm talent and my ability to go expand plays with my legs. That deep pass is another thing they like about my game,”
