Five-Star Plus+ OT David Sanders Jr. reflects on signing with Tennessee

Charlotte Providence Day Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. kept Tennessee fans on the edge of their seats by not putting pen to paper on National Signing Day.

Ohio State had been pushing hard in the dying embers of his recruitment, so when reports circulated that he wouldn’t be announced by the Volunteers on Wednesday, rumors continued to swirl about a potential flip to Columbus.

Sanders put everything to bed on Thursday afternoon, announcing that he was signing with Josh Heupel and Co. in an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“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 — expressing to me that I was a priority in their class and a must-get for the class of 2025,” Sanders told Finebaum about his decision.

“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 them along with our quarterback and the other recruits that we have as well. Tennessee did a great job recruiting me. The recruiting class they have coming in, I feel like we have a great mix of guys. We have a great quarterback, great receivers, a good defensive corps and other offensive linemen as well along with myself.”

Ohio State finished No. 2 in the race for Sanders

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes never quit in their pursuit of Sanders and even got him back to Columbus for a visit two weeks ago. The likes of Georgia, Clemson and South Carolina were also involved heavily in his recruitment back in the summer, but it was Tennessee and Ohio State that emerged as the top contenders.

Sanders committed to UT on Aug. 17. The Buckeyes worked hard to come out on top, but the 6-foot-5.75, 275-pounder is Knoxville bound.

“When I picked (Tennessee) in August, Ohio State was right behind them. So, I felt like it was only right to maybe give them one more shot just to make sure I had made my decision and this was firm on where I wanted to be,” Sanders said about the recent visit to OSU. “I appreciate their coaching staff just like I appreciate the Tennessee coaching staff because they did a phenomenal job recruiting me as well.”  

Heupel was instrumental in Tennessee’s push

It’s no surprise that the head coach played a major role in a major recruitment, but Heupel stuck out to Sanders and his family. The nation’s No. 6 recruit took a slew of visits this summer and fall, seeing myriad coaching staffs across the country.

Authenticity with Heupel stood out in a big way for the five-star.

“When you you’re going through the recruitment process, you get a lot of fake energy from a lot of coaches, I feel like sometimes, but I feel like he was very authentic on who he was. He didn’t change from the very first time I met him until now,” Sanders said. “And then, just getting to talk to the current players on the team, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to change once I get there. You know? He shows you who he is, and if you don’t like that, then you probably won’t go to Tennessee.”

Sanders headlines Tennessee’s 2025 recruiting class — which ranks No. 10 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.