Recruiting analyst says Tennessee Vols may no longer lead for key 2026 5-star recruit
Earlier this month, On3's Steve Wiltfong placed a prediction for the Tennessee Vols to land 2026 five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon. 247Sports' Tom Loy also placed a prediction for the Vols to land Brandon earlier this month. "I probably could have done this the day I first spoke with him when we dropped the 2026 rankings […]
Earlier this month, On3's Steve Wiltfong placed a prediction for the Tennessee Vols to land 2026 five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon.
247Sports' Tom Loy also placed a prediction for the Vols to land Brandon earlier this month.
"I probably could have done this the day I first spoke with him when we dropped the 2026 rankings and you guys named him the No. 1 player, No. 1 quarterback in the country," noted Loy. "Tennessee is doing a phenomenal job. He's been on campus a bunch of times."
Brandon, 6-foot-4/195 lbs from Greensboro, NC, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. He's been one of the Vols' top recruiting targets since early in his recruitment.
On Monday, Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney suggested that LSU might now be the team to beat for Brandon.
From Rivals.com: Tennessee has been considered the front-runner for the 2026 four-star quarterback from Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley but LSU could very much be the team to beat now as the Tigers have definitely become a serious contender for him. LSU has been involved with many other QBs in the class even after taking five-star Bryce Underwood in 2025 (and that might concern Brandon right now) but LSU and Tennessee among others could be battling it out.
Landing the No. 1 player in the nation was never going to be "easy" for the Vols — Tennessee was always going to face some tough competition for Brandon.
But the Vols have done a great job with Brandon's recruitment, making the North Carolina native one of their top priorities since last summer, which should give Tennessee fans some confidence that UT can eventually close the deal with the five-star quarterback.
It's not a surprise that LSU is making this recruiting battle interesting, but Tennessee still has several advantages — such as a longer relationship with Brandon and the Hendon Hooker factor (Brandon and Hooker are both from Greensboro and have spent time together).
Nothing in recruiting is ever a sure thing, but despite Gorney's note on Monday, I still like the Vols' odds in this recruiting battle.
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