Five-star David Sanders Jr. has made his decision. The top ranked offensive lineman in the Rivals250 has committed to Tennessee. The Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day star chose Josh Heupel and the Vols over Ohio State, Nebraska, and Georgia.
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Sanders picked up his first offer before playing a down of high school football and he’s evolved into one of the most coveted prospects in the nation. The two schools that stood out to Sanders early in his recruitment were Clemson (his childhood favorite) and Georgia (where he had very strong relationships). Through dozens of unofficial visits and official visits to Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama, Clemson, and South Carolina, Sanders was able to narrow his lengthy list of options down to a final four.
Ultimately, the Volunteers won out and now have two five-star offensive lineman in this recruiting class.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
"It feels a little like Charlotte," Sanders said of Knoxville. "It feels like home for me and that coaching staff made me feel like I was at home. I’m ready to get there.
"I’m going to go out there and do my best," he said. "What other people expect out of me is out of my control so I need to go out there and do my job and, most importantly, help my teammates win at the end of the day. The outside noise doesn’t get to me but, trust me, I’m going to ball out."
"It’s the perfect environment for Dave," said David Sanders Sr. "Academically that’s where he needs to be. Athletically, you can’t make a better choice.
"We know he’s the No. 1 player in the country," he said. "We know he’s the best and that’s what we’re shriving to be."
WHAT TENNESSEE IS GETTING
This past season was Sanders’ best yet, despite playing about half the year with a torn labrum. The 6-foot-6, nearly 280-pound left tackle has all the physical traits college coaches are looking for. Sanders has the ideal height and weight along with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and more than 33-inch arms. Athletically, Sanders has a basketball background and sports a sub-4.9 second 40-yard dash.
On the field, Sanders shows elite pass blocking abilities. He’s quick into his pass set, shows a solid initial punch, and has the lateral quickness to cut off outside rushes. Sanders’ exceptional footwork helps him slide inside if defensive linemen try any countermoves. When run blocking, Sanders does a great job quickly engaging with defensive linemen and turning them out of the running lane. He is very good at finding defenders to block at the second level of the defense and in the open field during screen passes.
Sanders has the toughness and mentality to fit in quickly at the college level but the only thing that might hold him back from playing early in his career is his physical strength. Sanders hasn’t put a bunch of weight on his frame during his high school career but the coaches at the next level should be able to get him physically ready to play within a year of him arriving on campus.
WHY IT'S BIG FOR THE VOLS
With the addition of Sanders, Tennessee now has a recruiting class that is solidly inside the top ten of the team recruiting rankings. The Vols only hold three commitments from offensive linemen but two of them (Sanders and Douglas Utu) are five-stars.
Josh Heupel and his staff deserve a lot of credit for beating out powerhouse programs from coast to coast. Ohio State appeared to be the leader coming out of the June official visit season but late unofficial visits to Nebraska and Tennessee saw the Cornhuskers and Vols vault to the top tier. While NIL did play a role in Sanders’ recruitment, it wasn’t the main focus. Sanders wanted to find a program that could develop him into a first round NFL Draft pick and set him up for a long NFL career.
