One of the nation’s best high school quarterbacks is off the board.
Lake Norman’s Kaden Craft, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior, announced his college decision Monday afternoon during a nationally streamed ceremony at his school.
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Craft picked Tennessee over his other finalists: Oregon, LSU, Michigan, Florida and Mississippi.
“All these schools, I could see myself playing at, just from building relationships,” Craft said. “They’re all at the highest level, but at the end of the day I made a tough decision.”
Craft is the second highly-ranked N.C. QB to choose the Vols in the past two cycles. Former Greensboro Grimsley QB Faizon Brandon, a true freshman, is currently battling for the starting job this fall.
Craft said what put Tennessee over the top was pretty simple.
“The head coach (Josh Heupel) playing quarterback (in college at Oklahoma) and always being in the quarterback room meant a lot to me, just from a quarterback development standpoint,” Craft said. “I’ve always felt strong about Tennessee, from the first time I stepped on campus. I felt like it was home.”
And Craft’s high school coach thinks the teenage star will only get better from here.
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247 Sports ranks Craft as the No. 9 quarterback recruit in the class of 2028.
“His football IQ is high,” Lake Norman coach Jonathan Oliphant said. “Several college coaches that got him on the white board were extremely impressed with him. Kaden is the best quarterback I’ve been around. If he continues to develop and stays healthy, he’ll have a chance to play on Sundays.”
Last season, as a sophomore, Craft led Lake Norman to an 8-4 record and a berth in the second round of the N.C. 7A playoffs. He finished the season completing 126 of 210 passes for 1,739 yards and 17 touchdowns. He ran for 387 yards and 13 touchdowns.
For his career, Craft has 2,910 yards passing and 30 touchdowns.
“He’s 6-4, 6-5 and he can run and throw,” Oliphant said. “He’s been a multi-sport guy his whole life and hasn’t reached his ceiling like a lot of QBs who just train and do 7-on-7. Not to mention, he’s a very humble young man and a phenomenal teammate. He gets just as excited for our other guys getting offers as he does for himself.”
This story was originally published August 17, 2026 at 4:08 PM with the headline “Lake Norman 4-star QB Kaden Craft announces his college decision. Where he’s headed?.”
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