Grimsley High School standout quarterback Faizon Brandon engineered a second-half comeback on Friday night to help the Whirlies punch their ticket to the North Carolina 4A state championship game. Following the win, Brandon and his family headed toward Knoxville to be able to spend time with the staff and watch practice on Saturday morning.
“I think it was good to be able to see practice and be with the coaches,” Brandon said of the visit. “Being able to meet some of the other recruits and being around some of the guys was good.”
Brandon enjoyed spending time around the Tennessee staff and seeing Saturday’s practice.
“I enjoyed seeing how fast-paced it was,” Brandon said of the practice. “I think it definitely gets you ready for the game. Pretty much everything and just seeing the drills they do and what they do. Watching how Coach Joey and Coach Heup interact with the players are really the main things I am looking at.”
There was plenty of chatter around the elite signal-caller and UNC after the hiring of Bill Belichick. however, he remains firm in his commitment to Tennessee.
“He (Belichick) hasn’t said anything to me, but I don’t really plan on saying anything to them because this is where I want to be,” he said of North Carolina. “Tennessee is the place I want to be, so I really don’t want to talk to anyone else.”
Brandon has led Grimsley to a perfect 15-0 record as they have one game left to claim a state title. So what has led to the success?
“I feel like the leadership has been a big thing on this team,” the five-star said of this. “Just making sure everybody is staying engaged. Since this summer, we have all been gelling together and been playing together pretty well.”
As they prep for their state title match, Brandon says it will all come down to the week leading in.
“It is just going to take a good week of preparation and staying locked in. That will be the main thing we have to do to win it,” he said.
He has been stellar during his Junior season, being named the Gatorade Player of the Year for North Carolina. He has continued to see his game grow.
“I would say leadership and pocket presence,” he said of this. “Just staying in the pocket and not getting to antsy. Whenever I see something and delivery anticipation is something I have worked on a lot.”
