'Do not panic, this kid has huge upside' – Recruiting analyst eases concerns about 5-star Tennessee Vols QB commit Faizon Brandon
2026 five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, a Tennessee Vols commit since last August, had a good, but maybe not elite, performance at the Elite 11 Finals last week. Some recruiting analysts have pointed out that a couple of other quarterback prospects — such as Dia Bell and Keisean Henderson — had better performances than Brandon, which has […]
2026 five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, a Tennessee Vols commit since last August, had a good, but maybe not elite, performance at the Elite 11 Finals last week.
Some recruiting analysts have pointed out that a couple of other quarterback prospects — such as Dia Bell and Keisean Henderson — had better performances than Brandon, which has led to some slight concern from Vols fans.
247Sports' Andrew Ivins, however, says Tennessee fans shouldn't panic after Brandon's showing at the Elite 11 Finals.
"I think if you're a Tennessee fan, do not panic," said Ivins on The 105 podcast. "I think this kid huge upside as well….He had a rough night one. I think his flight was delayed. I'm not trying to make excuses. I just asked him about it at the hotel, and he brought that up. He rebounded, I thought, extremely well, on night two. I think he was top half in the accuracy challenge. Top half for us in the Pro Day.
"Then, in the 7-on-7 game, it looked like he was middle of the pack. But if you really dig into it, it was way better than you thought. He went 17-of-20 with three touchdowns and an interception. Of the three incompletions, two of them were drops. The other was the interception where the receiver ran the wrong route."
"Don't panic," added Ivins. "Faizon has the goods. He was the second-youngest competitor there. If you're a Tennessee fan, there's no reason to panic. He didn't finish No. 1 for us. He didn't finish No. 1 for the Elite 11 or anyone….But he was one of the top guys there. And he's a perfect fit for what Josh Heupel wants to do on offense. He can get the ball out fast. He can be in a wide-open attack. He can move around."
Brandon wasn't perfect, but he still showed that he's one of the best quarterback recruits in the country. And he showed that he's a great fit in Josh Heupel's offense, which is arguably the most important thing he could've done last week at the Elite 11 Finals.
