Tennessee’s Expected First-Year NIL Deal For 5-Star QB Revealed originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Tennessee Volunteers have had an interesting relationship with Name, Image and Likeness, as this offseason, they lost quarterback Nico Iamaleava to the transfer portal after refusing to give him a new contract worth more money.
Advertisement
However, they’ve also reaped some of the benefits from being able to shell out money, which is evident by their impressive 2026 recruiting class, which ranks No. 7 in the SEC and No. 15 in the nation.
The biggest addition in that group comes in the form of quarterback Faizon Brandon, who chose the Volunteers over other big programs such as the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
In order to land him, though, they likely had to offer quite the paycheck, with On3’s Pete Nakos reporting that, “One source told On3 that Brandon’s deal will pay him between $1 to $1.5 million in Year 1.”
Advertisement
Tennessee Volunteers football head coach Josh Heupel© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
That’s a lot of money, but with Rivals Industry Rankings placing Faizon as a five-star recruit, the No. 3 quarterback, the No. 1 player in North Carolina and the No. 11 player in the nation, it could prove to be worth it.
He’s undoubtedly shown he’s a talented player at the high school level, completing 165-of-214 passes for 2,814 yards, 35 touchdowns and two interceptions, as well as 625 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season for Grimsley High School.
Advertisement
That potential deal is comparable to projections for other top quarterback recruits, with Simmons also reporting Georgia commit Jared Curtis (No. 2 QB) could receive over $750,000 in year one, while BYU commit Ryder Lyons (No. 5 QB) could make up to $1 million.
If Brandon does live up to the hype with Tennessee, then his earnings will only increase, as three of the top-five athletes in On3’s NIL valuations are quarterbacks, including Texas’ Arch Manning ($6.8 million), Miami’s Carson Beck ($4.3 million) and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier ($3.8 million).
Related: Nation’s No. 5 Recruit Reveals Top Team As In-State Battle Heats Up
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
