Tennessee landed a major piece when it signed five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. in the 2025 recruiting class, and the early returns go beyond the obvious stuff on the field.
The 6-foot-6 Charlotte native fought through an injury early in his freshman season, then finished strong enough to start at right tackle in Tennessee’s final six games. Now, with Lance Heard gone from the program this offseason, Sanders is set to slide into his natural left tackle spot and serve as the anchor up front for whichever quarterback wins the starting job.
That’s the easy part to see. Sanders’ bigger value right now might be the way he’s already operating inside the locker room.
For a sophomore, he’s carrying himself like a veteran. He’s not just holding down a spot on the line; he’s helping bring others along with him. One of the clearest examples is blue-chip freshman Gabriel Osenda, the 6-foot-8 Baylor School product from Chattanooga who is still settling into college football.
“Me and David have a really good relationship,” Osenda said on Wednesday. “He’s a great mentor and friend to me.
Every time we do a drill, we’re running drills together. Him coaching me up and telling me what I’ve got to do to change technique or my hands or attack point.
So it’s really good having such an elite talent there to kind of coach me up and get me right.”
That dynamic wasn’t just talk. During Thursday’s practice, Sanders was spotted coaching Osenda during a one-on-one rep.
David Sanders Jr. helping coach up freshman tackle Gabe Osenda ⬇️ @RockyTopInsider
- Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) August 6, 2026
Tennessee’s line already has experienced names in Wendell Moe and Sam Pendleton, and that kind of player-to-player instruction is happening throughout the room. Still, Sanders’ role stands out because it shows how quickly he’s grown into more than just a talented blocker.
The Vols know what they have on the field. What’s becoming just as clear is that Sanders is giving them something else, too: a young leader who can steady the group around him while helping set the tone for what’s ahead.
If Tennessee makes the kind of push it wants to make in the coming years, Sanders is going to be right in the middle of it, both as an offensive line cornerstone and as the kind of teammate the program can build around.
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For the Volunteers, the immediate concern is not just losing a key linebacker, but losing him right as the schedule starts to take shape. Carter will be unavailable for two games, including matchups against Furman and Georgia Tech, leaving Tennessee to adjust early while trying to keep its defensive momentum intact. It is the kind of setback coaches hate in September because there is no real way to spin it as anything other than a roster loss. [Read more 🡒]