Tennessee football concluded spring practice with the 2024 Orange and White game on Saturday afternoon. While it was a big day on Shields-Watkins Field for the Vols it was an equally important day for Tennessee football recruiting.
Headlining the big recruiting weekend for Tennessee were blue-chip offensive tackles David Sanders Jr. and Jaelyne Matthews.
Sanders is one of the top players in the country ranking as a five-star recruit and the No. 3 player country according to the 247sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect ranks as the top offensive tackle and the top player in the state of North Carolina in his class.
The Charlotte native’s trip to Tennessee for the Orange and White game marked his second trip to Knoxville in as many weeks. Sanders has official visits scheduled to Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee over the next two months.
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Matthews isn’t as highly rated as Sanders but is still one of the top offensive line recruits in the entire 2025 recruiting cycle.
The Tom Rivers, New Jersey native ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 108 player in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. Matthews also ranks as the No. 10 offensive tackle and the No. 2 player in the state of New Jersey in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Matthews weekend trip to Tennessee marked his second visit to Knoxville this year. The blue-chip offensive tackle plans on making a return trip to Tennessee for an official visit in June. He also has official visits scheduled to Georgia and Syracuse with the Bulldogs seemingly posing the greatest challenge to Tennessee at this point.
Tennessee football’s 2025 recruiting class currently contains seven commitments but none of them are currently from offensive tackles. The Vols’ seven-commit recruiting class ranks No. 17 nationally according to the 247sports team rankings.
