Greensboro, North Carolina’s own Faizon Brandon, the nation’s **No. 1 quarterback recruit** in the 2026 class, isn’t just honoring his pledge to Tennessee—he’s going all in to reshape the SEC landscape. Last summer, Brandon committed to the Volunteers over heavy hitters like LSU, Florida State, Alabama, and Georgia. But the story didn’t end there.
Now, Brandon has made it a top priority to **flip five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys**, who’s currently committed to LSU and ranks as the nation’s No. 1 receiver in the 2026 cycle . Brandon, towering at 6’3″ and 195 lbs, has been on the road—making official visits and personally championing Tennessee’s vision to entice Keys to Knoxville .
At the Elite 11 Finals, Brandon didn’t mince words: flipping Keys is “no bigger priority on the trail” . This isn’t mere recruiting hype—it’s a full-court press. Brandon recognizes the ceiling of potential success when someday connecting with a receiver of Keys’s caliber. He’s spending weeks on official visits, showcasing Tennessee’s offensive system and engaging in direct conversations. His message? Elite development awaits Keys under the Volunteers’ guidance.
For Keys himself, development is the driving factor. On the journey, he emphasized, “When it comes to money and development… I’d take development first because we trying to get to that big money, which is NFL.” His words make Tennessee’s pitch through Brandon even more compelling.
By personally campaigning to flip a five-star wideout from LSU—the other top program after Tennessee—in a public and relentless way, Brandon is proving that elite recruits can shift recruiting narratives themselves. For Tennessee, if Keys changes his mind, it would be a seismic recruiting win—another signal that Brandon’s influence as a top-tier quarterback might already be changing the game off the field.
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