5-star OT David Sanders Jr. commits to Tennessee; No. 2 player in class of 2025 | News, scores, highlights, stats & rumors

The University of Tennessee signed one of the best players in the 2025 college football recruiting class on Saturday, securing the signing of offensive tackle David Sanders Jr.

According to Steve Wiltfong of On3.com, Sanders announced his commitment to Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, choosing Tennessee over three other finalists from Ohio State, Nebraska and Georgia.

According to Wiltfong, Sanders explained his decision in a statement, saying:

“This process has been a blessing and I am so grateful to every school that considered and recruited me. There are so many things to weigh when you have to make a decision like this, but what mattered to me in the end and what was most important was that I landed in a place where I truly felt like family. I committed because the school felt like home.”

Sanders is rated as a 5-star recruit by 247Sports and is the second-best player overall and best offensive tackle in his class.

Sanders is 6'6″ and weighs 290 pounds. Not surprisingly, he has attracted interest from many of the top college football programs.

In addition to his finalists, Sanders received scholarship offers from Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and many others.

Although it is still relatively early in the process, Tennessee is on the verge of having a top-five recruiting class in 2025.

According to 247Sports, the Volunteers' 2025 class is currently ranked sixth in the nation with 22 commitments, including one 5-star and eleven 4-star prospects.

Besides Sanders, arguably Tennessee's biggest addition in 2025 is quarterback George MacIntyre, who 247Sports ranks as the No. 58 player overall and the No. 8 quarterback in his class.

Since Tennessee lost three of four seasons from 2017 to 2020, the country has been on the rise.

Head coach Josh Heupel has led the Vols to a bowl game in three consecutive seasons, posting records of 7-6 in 2021, 11-2 in 2022 and 9-4 last season.

With Sanders joining the program, Tennessee could be in the running for the College Football Playoffs in the coming years and challenge for its first national championship since 1998.