Faizon Brandon previews decision; Nation's No. 1 prospect discusses Alabama, LSU, NC State and Tennessee

Andrew Nemec | Jul 31, 2024

Grimsley junior Faizon Brandon is a 5-star dual-threat quarterback who is set to announce his college choice on Aug. 3. / On3.com

Grimsley (North Carolina) five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon is rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2026.

And for good reason.

As a junior, the dynamic 6-foot-4, 200-pound playmaker accumulated 3,026 yards and 36 touchdowns (three interceptions) passing with an additional 528 yards and nine scores rushing.

On Saturday at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT, Brandon is officially set to announce his college commitment from among four finalists: Alabama, LSU, North Carolina State and Tennessee.

This week, he joined SBLive/Sports Illustrated to break down each of his four contenders.

Alabama Crimson Tide: “Kalen DeBoer is a good head coach. He did a lot of good things at the program he was just at, so I know it’s going to be a lot of great things at Alabama. He’s a very grounded guy. It seems like you can talk to him about pretty much anything outside of football, so that’s the main thing with him.”

“Alabama has a lot of great support system that goes beyond the coaching staff. They have a lot of great players around you, so you’re always going to have a great team there.”

LSU Tigers: “Brian Kelly is a very good leader. You can see that when you’re going around the facilities. All the players follow him and look up to him… just by the way the players react to him when he speaks. You can tell he’s a good guy talking to him.”

“Coach (Joe) Sloan is the big piece that stands out to me. He’s one of the best teachers I’ve been around out of all the visits I went to. He made it very easy to understand the offense, which was amazing.” 

North Carolina State Wolfpack: “They are a very good program that’s close to home. For them to be this close to home and have a great program like they do is very appealing and exciting. I could see myself being here and staying close to home.”

Tennessee Volunteers: “The thing about Tennessee is the relationships I have from the top down - from Coach Heup [Josh Heupel] to coach Joey (Halzle) and everybody else - even on the defensive side of the ball. It’s great relationships all around.” 

“They do a great job with the development piece there — from Hendon Hook to Joe Milton to Nico (Iamaleava). They do a pretty good job with quarterbacks there.”

Heading into the decision, most recruiting services view Tennessee as the favorite - with both 247Sports and On3 giving the Vols a significant advantage.

That would give the Vols one of their top commitments in program history, alongside East (Kansas) five-star running back Bryce Brown (2009), Creekside (Georgia) five-star safety Eric Berry (2007), Warren (California) quarterback Nico Iamaleava (2023) and Clayton Valley (California) five-star defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie (2015).

Regardless, any of the four finalists would be securing a dynamic field general, according to 247Sports:

"Ascending signal caller that possesses a rare blend of pocket-passer size and dual-threat athleticism to go along with a high-powered arm. Had as good of a sophomore season as any of the 2026 quarterbacks, ranking first in a number of key statistical categories (completion percentage, yards per attempt and turnover rate). Rhythmic as a passer, getting the ball out fast and to his playmakers. Likes to stay on schedule with his clean footwork and shows poise in the face of pressure. Accurate to the numbers, and has found plenty of success attacking the intermediate level, but deep ball placement can be a bit uneven. Effective on designed runs with his acceleration and his natural twitch in both the upper and lower halves is ideal for run-pass options. Certainly benefited from throwing to a pair of Power Four wide receivers in his first year as a starter, but game tape shows a potential game-breaker at the next level that’s just starting to scratch the surface of what he could be, especially when you factor that he’s younger for the grade."