Wow, Tennessee was absolutely disrespected in the final Rivals 2026 recruiting rankings.
The Vols put together their best class since Josh Heupel arrived, featuring three five stars (depending on the recruiting service) and a top 10 class just behind Alabama and Georgia. It was widely considered the best recruiting class on paper since Josh Heupel has been in Knoxville.
In the most recent Rivals update, quarterback Faizon Brandon and wide receiver Tristen Keys were both not listed as five-star, a surprising development that’s sending shockwaves through the recruiting world.
Brandon has been considered one of, if not the best, players overall in the 2026 class. 247Sports has him rated as the No. 2 player in the nation. ESPN has Brandon as the No. 9 overall player and No. 3 quarterback. Rivals dropped him all the way down to No. 40 overall in their most recent update.
247Sports and ESPN both have Keys ranked as a five-star and the No. 10 player in the class of 2026. Keys is the No. 1 wideout by 247 and No. 2 by ESPN. Rivals, however, do not see it that way. Keys is listed as the No. 39 player overall and the No. 7 wide receiver.
Faizon Brandon and Tristen Keys deserve to be five-stars
I really don't understand how both players dropped so far. Brandon did miss some time in 2025 with a hand injury, but he was still highly effective whenever he was on the field. He led Grimsley to another state title and, by all accounts, looked the part. He was still very smart with the football, only throwing one interception, and Brandon made plays with his legs like always.
Keys also missed some time during the 2025 season, but he was still on pace to surpass his junior-year totals in both receptions and yards. Two players missing a handful of games in their senior seasons shouldn’t be the deciding factor in how far they fall in the rankings, but it feels like it's a big factor in these cases.
Nonetheless, ESPN and 247Sports seem to agree on the rankings of the two signees. Rivals is going against the grain and doesn't like something about their game to be so far off from the rest. When the dust settles, we can look back and laugh at how far off they were.