Tennessee starting OT out for Syracuse game, per report
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers are less than an hour away from kicking off their 2025 season against the Syracuse Orange, and they may be starting without one of their key pieces up front in 5-star freshman offensive tackle David Sanders Jr.
According to On3’s Austin Price, the top overall recruit from the 2025 recruiting cycle has reportedly been ruled out for the first game of his college career for an undisclosed reason.
The Charlotte, North Carolina native was the most sought-after offensive line recruit last year, and eventually settled on the Vols after a lengthy recruiting process.
Sanders was expected to come in and immediately start up front in head coach Josh Heupel‘s offense, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for week 1 if this report is accurate.
If Sanders is indeed ruled out against the Orange, then it would be a massive blow for a Tennessee team that is having to break in a new starting quarterback against a very good Syracuse defense.
It will be interesting to see how this continues to develop as Tennessee inches closer to kickoff, and who ends up taking Sanders’ spot at tackle should he be officially ruled out.
