The Volunteers are poised to significantly strengthen their offensive line in 2025 with the commitment of this highly sought-after recruit.
The Tennessee football program is determined to build on their 2023-24 season, where they finished with a 9-4 record in the highly competitive SEC. However, the Vols are also focusing on long-term success. Recently, after securing a four-star wide receiver, the program received significant news: five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. has committed to Tennessee.
According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, Sanders, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound OT from Charlotte, North Carolina, chose the Volunteers over Ohio State, Nebraska, and Georgia. He is ranked as the No. 1 OT in the Class of 2025.
By his junior year of high school, Sanders had accumulated over 100 football scholarship offers, as noted in his On3 bio. He credits his parents for keeping him grounded throughout the process.
“My parents keep me very humble,” Sanders told the Charlotte Observer. “We try to keep sports talk out of the house because I’ve got three younger sisters, and they don’t want to hear about football every two seconds.”
Coaches nationwide have been impressed not only by Sanders’ outstanding abilities on the field but also by his humility off of it.
“It takes about 15 seconds to watch him do anything, and you go, ‘He’s different,’” said Providence Day coach Chad Grier to the Observer. “But what makes him special is how grounded and humble and respectful he is. He’s just a great human. He’s got that million-dollar smile, and he was raised by great parents. He wants to be an orthopedic surgeon. He’s almost too good to be true, and I’ve never been around one like him. I almost don’t want to say it. But I thought he had a chance to be the best prospect I’ve coached, and there’s no question about that now. It’s just about how good can he be?”
The Volunteers are fortunate to have secured Sanders’ commitment. His journey in 2025 and beyond will be fascinating to watch.
Can Tennessee football keep up with the growing talent in the SEC?
The Volunteers will face two major programs joining the SEC in 2024. Alongside traditional powerhouses like Alabama and Georgia, Tennessee will now have to contend with Texas and Oklahoma. Former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban commented on the addition of the former Big 12 teams.
“I think it’s great for the SEC,” Saban said. “I think it’s great for the fans. One of the things I really like about expanding our conference is that we didn’t change the geographic footprint for our fans. We’ve added two high-quality programs with strong teams, fan bases, and traditions, but we didn’t alter the conference’s footprint.”
Despite the added competition, the Volunteers are working hard to stay competitive. Will they be able to break through and make a deep run by the time winter rolls around?
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