Key in-state Tennessee Vols recruiting target locks in official visit to UT
One of the Tennessee Vols' biggest 2023 recruiting targets is four-star offensive lineman Brycen Sanders. Sanders, 6-foot-5/280 lbs from Chattanooga, TN, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 4 player in the state of Tennessee. He's also ranked as the No. 209 overall player in […]
One of the Tennessee Vols' biggest 2023 recruiting targets is four-star offensive lineman Brycen Sanders.
Sanders, 6-foot-5/280 lbs from Chattanooga, TN, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 4 player in the state of Tennessee. He's also ranked as the No. 209 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.
The talented recruit recently revealed his top four schools and he included Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss.
Sanders is expected to announce his commitment sometime in June, so he's taking a few final visits before he makes his final decision.
The Tennessee native is set to take an official visit to Knoxville from May 27 to May 29.
Sanders is obviously already very familiar with Tennessee and he's taken several visits to UT. But this will be the Vols' final chance to get Sanders on campus before he announces his decision, so it's an important visit. This is where Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his staff can "close the deal" with Sanders.
The Vols are viewed as the favorites, but it wouldn't be wise to rule out the other three programs just yet. Recruiting is fluid and the trajectory of this battle could change with one visit (Sanders will visit Oklahoma after he visits Tennessee later this month).
Sanders is very comfortable at Tennessee. And I think UT's proximity to Chattanooga will ultimately be the deciding factor in this battle. So while we can't rule out the other three programs, I still think the Vols should feel pretty good about their chances to land Sanders.
"I have a really good relationship with the offensive line coach (Glen) Elarbee and Coach Heupel," said Sanders to Rivals earlier this spring. "They are the home-state school. I have been there 4 or 5 times and really seen everything."
Tennessee currently has nine players committed to its 2023 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 7 in the nation. Landing Sanders could push that class into the top five.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
