5-Star OT David Sanders Jr. Commits to Tennessee; No. 2 Player in Class of 2025
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVAugust 17, 2024
The University of Tennessee landed one of the top players in the college football recruiting class of 2025 on Saturday, securing a commitment from offensive tackle David Sanders Jr.
On3 Recruits @On3Recruits🚨BREAKING🚨 Five-Star Plus+ OT David Sanders Jr. has committed to Tennessee🍊<br><br>More from <a href="https://twitter.com/SWiltfong_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SWiltfong_</a>: <a href="https://t.co/wNJr6Go8k7">https://t.co/wNJr6Go8k7</a> <a href="https://t.co/MMxbQUtozp">pic.twitter.com/MMxbQUtozp</a>
According to On3.com's Steve Wiltfong, Sanders announced his commitment at Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, choosing Tennessee over three other finalists in Ohio State, Nebraska and Georgia.
Per Wiltfong, Sanders explained his decision in a statement, saying:
"This process has been a blessing and I'm so grateful to every school that considered and recruited me. There are so many things to weigh when it comes to making a decision like this, but what it came down to for me, and what was most important above everything else, was that I'd end up somewhere where I truly felt like family. I'm making my commitment because the school felt like home."
Sanders is rated as a 5-star recruit by 247Sports, as well as the No. 2 overall player and No. 1 offensive tackle in his class.
Listed at 6'6" and 290 pounds, Sanders unsurprisingly garnered interest from many of the top programs in college football.
In addition to his finalists, Sanders received scholarship offers from Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and a host of others.
While it is still fairly early in the process, Tennessee is on the precipice of having a top-five recruiting class in 2025.
Per 247Sports, the Volunteers' 2025 class is currently ranked sixth in the nation with 22 commits, including one 5-star and 11 4-star prospects.
Aside from Sanders, the biggest name to commit to Tennessee for 2025 thus far may be quarterback George MacIntyre, who 247Sports rates as the No. 58 overall player and No. 8 quarterback in the class.
Since posting losing records in three of four seasons from 2017 to 2020, Tennessee has been on the ascent.
Head coach Josh Heupel has led the Vols to a bowl game in three consecutive seasons, going 7-6 in 2021, 11-2 on 2022 and 9-4 last season.
With Sanders set to join the program, Tennessee could be a threat to reach the College Football Playoff in the coming years and vie for its first national championship since 1998.
