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Tennessee beats out Georgia, Ohio State for cornerstone 2025 offensive tackle
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Tennessee has landed a commitment from one of the biggest fish in the entire 2025 recruiting cycle.
On Saturday, 5-star Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day School offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. officially gave his pledge to the Vols. In a commitment ceremony streamed live on the 247Sports YouTube channel, Sanders selected Tennessee from a group of finalists that also featured Georgia, Ohio State, and Nebraska.
Sanders was thorough throughout the process, seeing schools multiple times and making the most of his unofficial visits. But he kept coming back to Tennessee. In April, Sanders made trips to Knoxville for back-to-back weekends. He came back in late May, then took his official visit the weekend of June 14. He made one more stop at UT the weekend of July 27.
“The Volunteers have been on top for a very long time,” Sanders said after he made his pledge known. “Coach Heupel and that coaching staff have done an amazing job for me and my family, just having that support and showing love from the beginning of the recruiting process to now.”
Sanders is a massive recruiting win for coach Josh Heupel and his staff. He’s the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 class and ranked as the No. 2 overall recruit in the country, per the industry-generated 247 Composite.
He’s a gifted athlete for his size (6-foot-6, 290 pounds), showing fast feet and explosive movement out of his stance. As a two-way player for Providence Day School last fall, Sanders garnered acclaim as the Gatorade Player of the Year in North Carolina. He had 7 sacks on defense and didn’t allow a hit on his quarterback playing on the other side.
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With his commitment, the Vols’ class rises up to sixth in the 247 Composite team rankings. Should UT make it to the finish line and sign Sanders to the program, he’ll become one of the highest-rated recruits in program history. As it stands, his Composite grade of .9989 would be the second-highest for a Tennessee signee in the internet rankings era, which dates back to 2000. (His grade can change between now and signing day.)
You can see Sanders’ highlight tape below, via Hudl:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
