The Tennessee Vols have the chance to send a huge message to the rest of college football before the end of the summer
The Tennessee Vols have an opportunity to send a huge message to the rest of college football before the end of the summer. Tennessee, along with the rest of the sport, learned on Sunday afternoon that 2025 five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr will announce his commitment on August 17. Sanders, 6-foot-6/290 lbs from Charlotte, […]
The Tennessee Vols have an opportunity to send a huge message to the rest of college football before the end of the summer.
Tennessee, along with the rest of the sport, learned on Sunday afternoon that 2025 five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr will announce his commitment on August 17.
Sanders, 6-foot-6/290 lbs from Charlotte, NC, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. He's easily one of the most highly coveted recruits in the nation.
Tennessee, Georgia, Nebraska, and Ohio State are the four finalists for Sanders, though it's the Vols and the Buckeyes that are considered the two biggest threats to land the five-star offensive lineman.
Sanders, who also considered Alabama, Clemson, and South Carolina, is the type of player that every program in the nation would take without hesitation. He's an elite player on the field and he's an elite person off the field. Sanders is highly-skilled, he's athletic, and he's a really smart kid. Sanders has future top five NFL draft pick potential.
If Tennessee can win the battle for Sanders in August, it would send a message to the rest of college football that the Vols have staying power under Josh Heupel. It would also send the message that Tennessee is poised to be a championship-contender for at least the rest of the decade.
Over the last three years, the Vols have built a solid foundation for the program under Heupel. The culture has changed for the better. The roster is loaded with elite talent. There's continuity on the coaching staff. And everyone associated with the program is working toward the same goal — bringing a national championship back to Knoxville.
If Sanders commits to the Vols on August 17, it will signal to the rest of the sport that Tennessee is becoming the juggernaut that everyone knew it was capable of being.
Landing Sanders could also potentially create a ripple effect, resulting in Tennessee winning more big recruiting battles against programs like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State.
The Vols are in position to make one of the biggest splashes of the offseason. Now they just have to find a way to close the deal.
