Top recruit Faizon Brandon sues North Carolina State Board of Education over ban on endorsement deals
Faizon BrandonFaizon, a five-star quarterback and the No. 1 ranked prospect in the class of 2026, is suing the North Carolina State Board of Education over its ban on endorsement deals for student-athletes at public high schools. Faizon’s mother, Rolanda Brandon, is joining him in the lawsuit.
Brandon is a standout athlete at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is committed to Tennessee.
The full complaint, which was filed electronically on Aug. 23, notes that in April, Brandon “was contacted by a major national trading card company and offered an opportunity … to deliver a certain amount of signed memorabilia before his high school graduation.
“In return, NIL will have to be paid to Sponsor 1 [Brandon] A large sum of money, the payments of which will be structured over time. This agreement will provide [Brandon] and providing their families with financial security for years to come.”
The cost, the complaint says, is “potentially millions of dollars, which Brandon has no guarantee he will be reimbursed.”
“I think it’s important because we get to reap the benefits of what we work for,” Brandon told 247Sports/CBS Sports on Monday morning. “It’s not only going to help me, but a lot of other kids as well.”
Brandon committed to Tennessee in August over the other top four finalists, LSU, NC State and Alabama.
“For your class, [Brandon] “He is recognized as one of the highest-rated football players in the country,” the complaint states. “After receiving scholarship offers from nearly every major college football program, he recently verbally committed to the University of Tennessee and is expected to graduate in December 2025, after which he will enroll at the University of Tennessee in January 2026. Unlike North Carolina, Tennessee allows its high school athletes to engage in both public and private activities.”
Additionally, the complaint shows that Brandon and his family took multiple steps to resolve the issue directly with the Board before taking action to sue.
“NIL Sponsor 1 had already indicated that Brandon’s offer could be rescinded due to the parties’ inability to execute the agreement. On or around June 24, 2024, Brandon, with the help of an attorney, informed Board Chairman Eric Davis of the issue. However, the Board waited until two days after the NIL prohibition took effect (July 3) to respond to Brandon’s concerns.”
“In her response to Brandon, DPI General Counsel Alison Schaefer confirmed that there will be no change to the Board’s NIL prohibition in the near future, writing that any permanent rule change takes approximately one year to take effect.
“Even if the Board rescinds or modifies its prohibition in such a manner as to [Brandon] To enter into the deal by July 2025, the shortest timeframe indicated by DPI’s General Counsel, would result in Brandon losing the intervening twelve months of what would have been a 20-month agreement at its inception, and leaving with only five months (July through December) to receive any benefit from NIL Sponsor 1’s proposal, if it still exists. This is time Brandon can never get back.”
According to the complaint, 38 states and the District of Columbia, either legislatively or through their respective athletics governing bodies, allow high school athletes to engage in NIL activities and provide that engagement in NIL activities does not invalidate the athletes’ amateur status.
Brandon believes that changing the NIL law in North Carolina can have a positive impact on people’s lives in the future, and he believes it is even bigger than him.
“The opportunity offered to Brandon by NIL Sponsor 1 is not unique to Brandon,” the complaint states. “In fact, other high-ranking national recruits in the same position as Brandon have been offered or entered into similar agreements by NIL Sponsor 1, some of which are valued, upon information and belief, in excess of one million dollars.”
247Sports ranks Brandon as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class.
