Does anybody still have questions about Josh Heupel’s ability to recruit? Tennessee Football just landed the biggest commitment of the Heupel era and the Vols’ most high-profile commitment since they landed Eric Berry 17 years ago.
David Sanders Jr., a five-star offensive lineman for 2025 out of Charlotte, committed to UT over the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday. Standing at 6’6″ 290, Sanders is the No. 1 ranked offensive tackle on 247Sports Composite.
Coming out of Providence Day School in Mecklenburg County, N.C., Sanders is the first unanimous five-star commitment for Tennessee Football since Darnell Wright, another offensive tackle. Wright committed to the Vols in 2019, but he was never rated higher than No. 2 as an OT.
Before Wright, the last unanimous five-star the Vols landed was Berry back in 2007, and ON3 wasn’t even a thing then. Also, what do Wright and Berry both have in common? They are the only two top 10 picks for Rocky Top in the NFL Draft since the end of the Phillip Fulmer era.
Simply put, this is a huge pickup for Tennessee Football, which had the No. 8 ranked 247Sports Composite recruiting class for 2025 BEFORE Sanders committed. Heupel beat out two blue blood programs and one known for offensive lineman to get Sanders.
All this is from a coach who is supposed to only be able to recruit finesse players. He is building this team in the trenches now, as Sanders is the third elite Vol committed for 2025. It’s hard to overstate how impressive of a pickup this is for the program.
A look at Sanders’ highlight reel shows he is wildly athletic and knows how to maintain blocks on stretch running plays. He’s also elite at pass protection. Simply put, he’s the perfect offensive lineman regardless of where he ended up, but he’s also perfect for the Vols’ system.
Now, Tennessee Football has 22 players committed for 2025, and the Vols keep strengthening that pipeline into the Carolinas with this pickup. Heupel could potentially have that area on lock going forward, and pushing into Charlotte will be huge going forward.
