Clemson, Georgia and Tennessee battling for 5-star OT David Sanders

Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day School five-star offensive tackle David Sanders is the top uncommitted prospect in the 2025 class with offers from around the country to his name.

Sanders has yet to make a formal list cut, something he told On3’s Volquest.com will come likely in the month of February.

“This month in particular is going to be very serious for me and my family to cut the list down,” Sanders said. “Trying to deal with everybody just isn’t the healthiest way to go. And with me getting closer to my decision, I want to have a very strong decision and take advantage of the opportunity to take visits to these schools, like spring practices, official visits and games. And I don’t want to be somewhere every single weekend, so that’s big for me.”

The massive 6-foot-5, 250-pounder has made stops at more than a dozen schools over the past year. And while he doesn’t yet have a specific number of top schools in mind, three have made a major impact on him, according to Tennessee recruiting insider Matt Ray.

“Right now I would say that it’s Clemson and Georgia,” he told On3’s Inside Scoop recruiting show on Monday. “I think David Sanders is genuinely intrigued by Georgia, but I think Tennessee and Clemson have positioned themselves the best heading into a big slate of spring visits and then summertime official visits. He was at Clemson for a junior day, and I think that went very well.

… If you watch that interview, you can tell that David is very interested in Tennessee, he’s very detailed in his process and how he’s looking at the Vols. From graduate assistants all the way up to Josh Heupel and guys coming in with this 2024 class. Tennessee certainly has David Sanders’ interest right now, and he’s another guy who has a really close relationship with George MacIntyre.”

Official visits are on Sanders’ mind as he prepares to cut list

After taking a number of visits during the fall, Sanders didn’t do much traveling around during the January contact period. He plans to take more unofficial visits this spring, then schedule official visits, likely for June.

The latest intel from On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons suggests that it is indeed a battle at the top between those schools right now. And the official visits — and relationships he continues to develop — will be a significant factor.

“He was pretty quiet in the month of January after a busy fall with game visits,” Simmons wrote last week. “Clemson is a strong contender and he has locked in an official visit to Death Valley the first weekend of June. Georgia is another one high on his list. Tennessee will have Sanders on campus early in the spring and he has a good relationship with quarterback commit George MacIntyre. That trio is setting the pace at this stage, but a list of schools remains in contention.

Sanders doesn’t yet have a commitment date locked in, but it likely won’t come until after he’s taken official visits and seen what he needs to see at his top schools. Among the major factors will be academics, player development on and off the field, and most importantly a family atmosphere.

“I come from a two-parent home, my grandparents are very involved in my life and I have three younger sisters,” he told Volquest. “So just feeling that connection with the coaches and the players, that’s going to be a big deal for me to feel like I’m comfortable in that locker room each and every day.”