Vols Lock up David Sanders with Belated Signing

By Tucker Harlin

I’ve never been good at fishing. I consider myself a patient person, but I’m not patient enough to sit and wait for the smallest of fish to bite into the bait on the end of my rod.

College football recruiting is just another version of fishing. You have to be patient enough to play the game, and ultimately many of the fish you catch aren’t going to be big ones.

But every now and again, you’ll get lucky enough to catch a gigantic bass.

Tennessee signed both its figurative and literal biggest fish in the 2025 recruiting cycle Thursday, fending off Ohio State for top-ranked tackle David Sanders Jr. The announcement was made on the Paul Finebaum Show, which would have been an odd place to commit to a Big 10 program.

Five-Star Plus+ OT David Sanders Jr. will sign with Tennessee🍊https://t.co/48ey2ZcwLH pic.twitter.com/BwhnRRjlXR

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) December 5, 2024

Sanders is from Providence Day School in the Charlotte area, a recruiting ground that has long been crucial to the success of the Tennessee football program. Current Charlotte Hornet, VFL, and Providence Day alum Grant Williams understood the importance of this pipeline in Sanders’ recruitment.

Sanders is one of three offensive lineman signed to the Vols in the 2025 class. He joins four star Nic Moore from Jefferson County and three star Antoni Ogumoro from Oklahoma.

The Vols’ other two commitments from North Carolina are defensive lineman. Three star Charles House is also from the Charlotte area while four star Isaiah Campbell is from Durham.