Tennessee 5-star QB recruit Faizon Brandon's mom sues North Carolina over NIL | Report

The mother of Tennessee football recruit Faizon Brandon , a five-star quarterback in the 2026 class, has filed a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina over its restrictions on public high school athletes to earn money off their name, image and likeness, ESPN.com reported.

Brandon is arguably the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class. He committed to Tennessee on Aug. 3 as the latest high-profile quarterback headed to the Vols in the NIL era. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native chose Tennessee over Alabama, LSU and North Carolina State.

Rolanda Brandon, Faizon's mother, filed the suit last week in Wake County Superior Court, which names the North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction as defendants, ESPN.com reported.

The complaint came after North Carolina adopted a policy in June, which blocked the state's public-school athletes from making money off the use of their NIL.

North Carolina is among the states that don't permit high school athletes to receive money for endorsements, public appearances, camps and autograph signings.

This isn't the first time that a high-profile quarterback linked to the Tennessee Vols was involved in a legal battle over NIL rules.

Current UT quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit, signed what was believed at the time to be the largest NIL deal in March 2022. He then committed to the Vols and signed in December 2022.

More than a year later, Iamaleava's recruitment to UT was the target of a failed NCAA investigation that triggered a federal antitrust lawsuit by the Tennessee attorney general to ensure Iamaleava could play for the Vols.

A Knox News investigation found that UT had spent tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers to look out for Iamaleava’s interests and defend his rights to earn NIL benefits before he even enrolled.

By hiring expert attorneys so early, the university got ahead of NCAA investigators who targeted specific schools for allegedly breaking NIL rules that ultimately were ruled invalid by a federal court.

Ultimately, a federal judge suspended NCAA rules on NIL. And the NCAA, left with no choice, paused its probe into UT’s NIL dealings, including those of Iamaleava.

Now another UT-bound quarterback is challenging NIL rules, albeit on the state level for high school athletes.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee 5-star QB recruit Faizon Brandon's mom sues North Carolina over NIL | Report