Josh Heupel is on the verge of pulling off an impressive feat at Tennessee that shouldn't go unnoticed
One thing was abundantly clear after the Tennessee Vols' 42-17 loss to the Ohio State in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff — if the Volunteers are going to win a national championship under Josh Heupel, the program needs to continue up its game on the recruiting trail. Coaching, of course, matters […]
One thing was abundantly clear after the Tennessee Vols' 42-17 loss to the Ohio State in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff — if the Volunteers are going to win a national championship under Josh Heupel, the program needs to continue up its game on the recruiting trail.
Coaching, of course, matters when it comes to competing for a national championship. However, the team with the most talent is usually the one that's holding the trophy when the dust settles on the season.
Tennessee is doing well on the recruiting trail under Heupel — the Vols' last three recruiting classes were ranked No. 11, No. 13, and No. 11 (per 247Sports). But for the program to take the next step, Tennessee needs to start landing top five classes.
There's reason to believe that Heupel and his staff can recruit at that level. And the fact that the program is on the verge of landing the No. 1 overall player in the country for the second time in four recruiting cycles is proof.
This past weekend, 2026 five-star Vols quarterback commit Faizon Brandon put on a show at the Navy All-American Bowl, earning "Alpha Dog" honors from 247Sports, seemingly solidifying his status as the top player in the 2026 recruiting class.
Brandon has been committed to Tennessee since August.
"Faizon Brandon absolutely lived up to his billing as the No. 1-ranked prospect in the class of 2026," wrote 247Sports' Andrew Ivins. "So much that we would argue he's the most talented recruit to actually work out at the National Combine since (Trevor) Lawerence in 2017…..Having had a chance to scout some of our other early five-star prospects in the 2026 cycle up close and in person the past few weeks, we are more confident that we have the right player at the top of the board."
Brandon, 6-foot-4/197 lbs from Greensboro, NC, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
When Brandon signs with Tennessee later this year (in December), he will become the second No. 1 overall recruit to sign with the Vols in the last four recruiting cycles. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was rated as the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation in the 2023 recruiting cycle by On3.
(Tennessee also signed five-star offensive lineman David Sanders Jr, the No. 6 overall recruit in the nation, during the 2025 recruiting cycle).
The fact that Heupel and the Vols are on the verge of landing the most coveted recruit in the nation in two out of the last four years shows that this coaching staff has the ability to recruit at a championship level.
The trick for Tennessee now is to start landing even more of that talent. And that will happen as the Vols prove they have staying power.
Elite programs aren't built overnight. I know Vols fans badly want to see Tennessee going on a Georgia-like run where the program wins a couple of national championships in a short amount of time. And maybe that's in the future for Tennessee. But it takes time to get to that point — especially when the program was a punchline for a decade before Heupel's arrival.
Landing the No. 1 overall recruit in two out of four recruiting cycles is an incredible feat that shouldn't go unnoticed. It's evidence that Heupel can lure the best players in the nation to Rocky Top on a consistent basis.
