The relief for Tennessee Vols football fans can’t be overstated. When 5-star David Sanders Jr. decided to delay signing, not making things official on Wednesday, there was a ton of worry that potentially he’d end up heading to Ohio State.
Despite being committed to Tennessee since the summer, Sanders took a recent visit to Columbus and it was clear the Buckeyes were making him a priority. So much in fact, some experts had said that things were trending in OSU’s favor.
Thankfully, however, Sanders eventually shut things down on Thursday, announcing that he’ll indeed be Knoxville-bound. This is something Vols fans are still celebrating, while you know Josh Heupel could not be happier about it either. He made that much clear with his social media post to officially welcome Sanders to the UT family:
Big time would be an understatement, coach. Sanders was one of the top recruits nationally for the 2025 class. He was ranked the No. 1 offensive tackle and five stars by virtually every recruiting service. Sanders is the real deal and he’s got a bright future.
Thankfully, that future is going to be in the SEC making plays for Heupel. Normally, an offensive tackle will redshirt his freshman season and then look to make plays after a year learning a system. However, Sanders has what it takes to make an impact from Day 1.
You can tell this was a bit of a tough decision for him too, but in the end he knew where he belonged. Tennessee unfortunately lost some last-minute flips and there was major concern that Sanders was going to add his name to the list. Instead, he has made things official with the Volunteers and people all over the state can’t wait for him to get on campus.
