Elite Tennessee QB commit George MacIntyre already recruiting for the Volunteers

Tennessee added arguably its biggest target of the entire 2025 football recruiting cycle earlier this month when it landed Nashville (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy quarterback George MacIntyre.

The elite signal-caller, who projects as a five-star prospect by the time he signs in December, is not only important because of his talent, but also his ability to attract other top recruits. Building a class around a quarterback is paramount in recruiting, and few are better in this class than MacIntyre.

One of the biggest names on Tennessee (and MacIntyre’s) list is five-star offensive tackle David Sanders out of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day. Sanders is the nation’s No. 1 player at the position and the exact kind of left tackle prospect quarterbacks want protecting them.

And MacIntyre is going to work on making that happen. On Friday, the quarterback posted on Instagram a graphic of him and Sanders together in Tennessee uniforms making his pitch to Sanders.

Tennessee commit @GeorgeMacIntyr6 doing his part with @DavidLSandersJr on instagram. ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lsFO6c960T

— Austin Price (@AustinPriceless) January 26, 2024

Sanders looking to return to Knoxville soon to see the Vols

The hulking, 6-foot-5, 250-pound Sanders was on campus this fall for a game, and he’s expected back this spring as well. According to On3’s Chad Simmons, MacIntyre will be recruiting him until then and will likely come to town whenever he visits.

“He and MacIntyre already have a relationship. The two have visited different schools together, they communicate and they have had conversations about playing on the same team,” Simmons wrote earlier this week. “When Sanders was in Tuscaloosa and Knoxville for games in the fall, MacIntyre was on the same visits. Expect when Sanders returns to Knoxville for MacIntyre to be there. This is one to watch with the new quarterback in the fold.

Sanders will be at Clemson on Jan. 27 and take visits to Georgia and Tennessee in the spring. He is also eyeing a trip to see the Tigers in the first weekend of June for an official visit.

“As of right now, my commitment date is going to be sometime in August or early September,” Sanders told Simmons this week. “That’s the target we’re shooting for as of right now because I want to really go in-depth with schools during spring visits and official visits throughout the summer and get a deeper look at each school and just make sure I make the right decision.” 

As it stands now, Sanders is planning to announce his top 8-10 schools in February. Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas A&M have been on his high school’s campus in the last few weeks.