On Monday, the Vols offered a three-star cornerback with a pretty recognizable dad. Shilo Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, is the latest player to pick up an offer from the Vols. They currently don’t have a lot of depth at corner in the 2019 class, and it will be important to add at least one more before signing day.
Sanders is from Cedar Hills, Texas and plays for Trinity Christian School. The 2019 recruit tweeted that he is “extremely grateful and blessed” to receive an offer from Tennessee.
I am extremely grateful and blessed to receive an offer from Tennessee! Thank you to my coaching staff and teammates @tcchfootball pic.twitter.com/y8p1ULkIcA
— Shilo Sanders (@ShiloSanders) November 6, 2018
The Vols became the 12th school to offer Sanders, joining the likes of Florida State, Georgia, and South Carolina among others. Florida State is the presumed favorite, and Tennessee has a lot of catching up to do getting in this late.
Sanders is currently rated as a composite three-star by 247Sports. He is the No. 921 overall player in the nation, the 119th-ranked player in Texas, and the No. 91 corner in the nation according to those rankings.
Looking at his film, Sanders immediately stands out as a very physical player. He loves to get in there and throw his body around, and he knows how to hit people the right way. Just like his father, he has elite ball skills. If the ball is thrown anywhere in his vicinity, he is going to get a hand on it. While he wasn’t asked to do so often, he is more than capable in press coverage. He presents a threat as a kick returner as well, and is a very elusive player in space.
Once concern some schools may have is his speed. His quickness doesn’t necessarily stand out on film, and he has declined to run a 40-yard dash at every camp he’s been at so far. He also doesn’t have a lot of experience in man coverage in high school, something he would likely be asked to do a lot in Tennessee’s system. Based on his skill set, he is a player that would potentially make a better safety than corner.
As a senior this season, Sanders has totaled 17 tackles, three interceptions, a fumble recovery, and has returned two kick-offs for touchdowns according to MaxPreps. He’s also caught two touchdowns and has run for a score as well.
Sanders is a unique prospect who could be a play-maker in the back end of the secondary. He isn’t likely to sign during the early signing period, so the Vols will have about four months to work on him.
