As the countdown begins for the 2024 NCAA season, Tennessee has scored its most important win for the new season 2024 by landing the 5-star David Sanders Jr. Sanders made his path with the Volunteers by his impressive performance on the field at the Freshman All-American Bowl in December 2021. His stats really impressed major schools, because of which, by the end of his freshman year, nine schools wanted him to play for them. And by his sophomore year, more than 20 schools approached him for the new season.

Sanders attended Providence Day High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He started his freshman preseason camp as a tight and defensive end. The camp helped him realize his strength as an offensive tackle, and since then he has never looked back. With his impressive performance as OT, he made his place in the main team, which is only made with the school’s best players. In a conversation with 247Sports in 2022, Sanders addressed his affection for his position and stated, “When we started doing pass blocking [in preseason camp], I was pretty good at blocking, that sparked the interest in left tackle, and I just fell in love with it.”

Sanders has always proved why he is the most wanted player by his athletic skills on the field. He is always seen as the major contributor to Providence. He made his place and has shined since the day he stepped into the school. Unfortunately, his progress slowed down because of an injury, but he fought back and again proved why he was a dependable player. In his school days, he played both offense and defense, which made Providence more reliable in the most important matches.

In 2023, the 6-foot-6-inch player entered his senior season and won the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. He led the team to its third NCISAA title in a row that same year. Not only that, but he was also the CISAA offensive player of the year. 2023 was the year where he outshined and had impressive stats. He helped to save Michigan QB Jadyn Davis, which contributed to his team gaining 3,758 passing yards for that season. Sanders also played as a defensive that year, where he recorded 32 QB hits., 24 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 pass breakdowns. The impressive thing in that match for the fans and the coaches was that he helped his team win while he was dealing with a ton of shoulder labrums during the fall. In 2022, he was selected for the MaxPreps Sophomore All-American team, which is known to recognize the top school sophomores for their outstanding performance. And in 2021 when he participated in the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl, he was named a top performer by 247Sports.

David Sanders Jr.’s biggest commitment to Tennessee for the 2024 season

Sanders compared Tennessee’s school environment with his high school Providence Day in a conversation ESPN, and stated, “The scenery is really nice up there,” he added, “Obviously the connection with coach Heupel and coach Elarbee helped a lot, and it feels like this will be a second home for me. Providence Day has a family feel. Going there, I get the same feeling.”

When only 18 days are left for the 2024 season to kick off, Sanders announced his commitment to Tennessee in a press conference at his school. Many football teams reached out to the OT in 2023, but the teams that made up his top four priorities were Tennessee, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Georgia.

“This process has been a blessing, and I’m so grateful to every school that considered and recruited me. There are so many things to weigh when it comes to making a decision like this, but what it came down to for me, and what was most important above everything else, was that I’d end up somewhere where I truly felt like family. I’m making my commitment because the school felt like home.”, Bleacher Report reported.

Let’s wait and watch how the OT performs with his new team and comment down below how excited you are for this new season.