Five-star offensive tackle David Sanders is just three weeks away from announcing his college commitment. In his last weekend of visits before announcing his college commitment, Sanders visited Nebraska on Thursday and Friday before arriving at Tennessee on Saturday for his final visit.
Sanders had a surprise waiting for him when he arrived on campus. The Rock was painted with a specific “Welcome Home David #70” message.
Two of the leaders of Tennessee football’s 2025 recruiting class— four-star quarterback George MacIntyre and four-star defensive lineman Ethan Utley— both called for someone to paint the rock for Sanders’ ahead of his weekend unofficial visit.
Let’s get that rock painted Knoxville 🍊@DavidLSandersJr
— George MacIntyre (@GeorgeMacIntyr6) July 27, 2024
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Vol nation @GeorgeMacIntyr6 and I need yall at the rock tmrw at 5:15pm tmrw to greet our future VFL @DavidLSandersJr 🍊 @AllVolReport @rockytopnow @VolFBRecruiting @RockyTopReport_ pic.twitter.com/h5Norm5Ogf
— Ethan Utley (@EthanUtley1) July 27, 2024
Sanders is not only the top player remaining on Tennessee’s recruiting board but is also one of the top players in the entire country. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle ranks as a five-star recruit and the No. 2 player in the entire country according to the 247sports composite rankings. He also ranks as the top offensive tackle and the top player in North Carolina in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
The blue-chip recruit is down to a top four schools that includes Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio State and Tennessee. The Vols and Buckeyes have long been the co-leaders to land Sanders but Nebraska has pushed hard in recent weeks and is surging for the five-star recruit.
Tennessee getting Sanders back on campus in late July for his final visit before committing is a big win and bodes well for the Vols’ chances.
Tennessee’s 2025 recruiting class currently contains 18 commitments including from three offensive lineman. However, those three offensive linemen project more as interior offensive linemen instead of offensive tackles. That makes landing Sanders incredibly important.
The Vols’ 18 commit recruiting class currently ranks No. 11 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC according to the 247sports team rankings.
