Josh Heupel and Tennessee Vols get huge news during the Paul Finebaum Show
The Tennessee Vols' early signing day class put their names in ink as the program's newest members on Wednesday, officially becoming the face of the future for the Big Orange. However, one player who didn't sign was five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. out of Charlotte (Providence Day School). It was revealed that Sanders wasn't […]
The Tennessee Vols' early signing day class put their names in ink as the program's newest members on Wednesday, officially becoming the face of the future for the Big Orange.
However, one player who didn't sign was five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. out of Charlotte (Providence Day School). It was revealed that Sanders wasn't going to sign with the rest of the class on Wednesday for reasons unknown.
Well, now we know that reason. On Thursday, Sanders went on the Paul Finebaum show and announced where he was heading for his college career: Knoxville.
"I just wanted to let everybody know that, for the next 3 to 4 years, I will be attending the University of Tennessee," Sanders said as he placed the helmet on the desk.
"First of all, Tennessee has been in it from the very beginning. They offered me as a freshman in high school, and they've been kind of on me every year since then, just expressing to me that I was a priority in their class and a must get for the class of 2025. Coach Heupel has expressed to me many times that I'm the leader of this class, and he wants me to come in and really lead, along with our quarterback and other recruits that we have as well.
"So, yeah, Tennessee did a great job recruiting me, and the recruiting class they have coming in – I feel like we have a great mix of guys. We have a great quarterback, great receiver, good defensive core coming in, and other offensive linemen as well along with myself. So, I'm super excited about that."
The Vols officially announced that Sanders had signed on Thursday evening.
The announcement on the Finebaum Show was a very well-kept secret by both Sanders and his interviewer. Finebaum himself didn't even have Sanders listed as a guest on his schedule for Thursday's show.
However, that mystery is now solved, and the Vols' 2025 class ended up gaining a monstrous addition one day after the signing period began. Ohio State pushed hard for months, but ultimately, Josh Heupel and UT offensive line coach Glen Elarbee got their man.
The signing of Sanders – who ranks as a top five overall player and top offensive tackle – firms up Tennessee's 2025 class as a top 10 group in the major recruiting services. The Vols' class is ranked tenth by Rivals, On3 Sports, and 247 Sports.
Now, the Vols have an impact young talent who should come in and immediately become the top candidate to replace John Campbell, Jr. at one of the tackle spots next season. With Sanders providing protection for Nico Iamaleava for the coming years, the Vol offense is in good hands for the near future.
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