2026 five-star QB Faizon Brandon explains the one reason why he committed to the Tennessee Vols over the Alabama Crimson Tide

The Tennessee Vols' biggest win of the 2026 recruiting cycle was easily beating out the Alabama Crimson Tide for five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon. 

Brandon, 6-foot-4/200 lbs from Greensboro, NC, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. 

The talented quarterback spoke to 247Sports' Tom Loy this week about his recruitment and he explained why he committed to Tennessee over Alabama (a decision that he admits was "very close"). 

For Brandon, the decision to pick the Vols over the Crimson Tide came down to his "better connection" with Tennessee's coaching staff. 

"It was very close (between Tennessee and Alabama), but it just really came down to the coaches," said Brandon to 247Sports. "I just seemed like I had a better connection when I really looked back at it."

"Really, it was just the coaching staff," added Brandon. "That was really the main thing, and also just all the love they showed from the start. Just having a relationship with Coach (Josh) Heupel and Coach Joey (Halzle), those are two relationships, it didn't feel like I had a relationship like that anywhere else. So that really played a big part in what I was looking for in my commitment." 

Brandon committed to Tennessee last August. Other programs have continued to pursue the North Carolina native, but Brandon has remained solidly committed to Tennessee throughout the process, not even showing a hint of interest in other schools. 

The Vols are hoping that landing Brandon can lead to signing other top recruits in the 2026 class, such as five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys and five-star running back Savion Hiter.