One of the top prospects from the state of Tennessee in the class of 2023 has officially made his commitment ahead of his scheduled date. With the announcement on social media late Monday afternoon, offensive lineman Brycen Sanders has committed to the Ole Miss Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin.
Tennessee was one of the finalists for Sanders’ recruitment along with LSU and Oklahoma.
“Thankful for all the opportunities and everyone who has gotten me to this point,” Sanders said in his commitment post. “100% committed @OleMissFB, let’s go to work.”
Sanders’ announcement comes after speeding up his timeline a decent amount. In April, Sanders announced that he would be announcing his commitment on June 23. However, it seems as though Sanders was ready for that decision earlier than expected.
Sanders has been in Knoxville for a visit three times in 2022, and four times dating back to the start of the 2021 football season. The Chattanooga native’s first trip to Tennessee came last October when the Vols hosted Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss in Neyland Stadium. Then, in January, Sanders was back in Knoxville to attend the Vols’ Junior Day on campus.
The 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive lineman took another look at Tennessee in late March for the Vols’ spring game, with his final visit coming just over two weeks ago when he attended Tennessee’s RockyTopPalooza on May 27 for his official visit to Tennessee.
Greet weekend on the OV! #GBO @coachjoshheupel @Gelarbee @CoachGolesh @CoachHoodie @AlecAbeln pic.twitter.com/NAt9UzFw7M
— Brycen Sanders (@BrycenSanders1) May 28, 2022
Brycen Sanders, currently a player for the Baylor School in Chattanooga, is the 5th highest-ranked player from the state of Tennessee and the 14th highest-ranked interior offensive lineman in the class according to On3 Sports’ consensus rankings. In addition, On3, ESPN, 247 Sports, and Rivals all have Sanders listed as a four-star prospect.
Tennessee still only has one of the state’s Top 10 players. The state of Tennessee’s Top 10 player rankings, according to 247 Sports, are as follows:
- Caleb Herring – EDGE – Tennessee commit
- Ty Lockwood – TE – Ohio State commit
- Shamar Porter – WR – Kentucky commit
- Brycen Sanders – IOL – Ole Miss commit
- Adarius Remond (Powell HS) – WR – Uncommitted
- Chris Parson – QB – Florida State commit
- Luke Brown – IOL – Arkansas commit
- Demitrius Bell – ATH – Michigan State commit
- Brock Glenn – QB – Uncommitted, Auburn prediction
- Kenny Minchey – QB – Pittsburgh commit
Despite only one player in the state’s Top 10, Tennessee and Josh Heupel have still built a strong class here early into the recruiting cycle. The Vols currently have nine commits to the class of 2023, headlined by five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. In addition, the Vols have four four-star players, including Caleb Herring, Ethan Davis, Sylvester Smith, and Trevor Duncan. Tennessee has four three-star players rounding out the class: Jack Luttrell, Ayden Bussell, and Nate Spillman.
Five of Tennessee’s nine commitments are from the state of Tennessee (Herring, Duncan, Robinson, Bussell, and Spillman).
— Brycen Sanders (@BrycenSanders1) June 13, 2022
