Tennessee’s 2026 offensive line picture starts with one name: David Sanders Jr.
The former five-star tackle is the piece around which a lot of the optimism is built, and after his freshman season there’s growing belief he can settle in as a potential All-SEC left tackle for the Vols. If Tennessee is going to get where it wants to go up front, Sanders looks like the linchpin.
That confidence is already showing inside the room. Current five-star freshman tackle Gabriel Osenda, who is only a year younger, is leaning on Sanders for guidance and expects big things from him.
“Me and David have a really good relationship,” Osenda said. “He is a great mentor and friend to me.
Every time we do a drill, running drills together, he’s coaching me up and telling me what I have to do to change technique or my hands or attack point. So it’s really good having such an elite talent there to coach me up and get me right.”
Sanders is also sliding back to his natural spot on the left side this season. He spent his first year at right tackle because Lance Heard held down the left side, but with Heard now at Kentucky, Sanders is making the move back where he’s most comfortable.
Josh Heupel didn’t sound like a coach who’s waiting to see it before believing it. Tennessee’s head coach praised Sanders as fall camp opened and pointed to the work he’s already done.
“Extremely comfortable at the left tackle position,” Heupel said. “Played that earlier in his career for a long time.
Got a lot of playing last year on the right side. The transition for him has been really natural.
Guy that took advantage of the offseason, made great gains. Physically, just massed his frame.
Super explosive. Expect him to continue to grow.
It’s a really young player. He should be getting better every rep, every day.”
The bigger question now is how the rest of the line settles around him. Wendell Moe Jr. is set for one guard spot, and Same Pendleton will be at center.
The other guard job is still up in the air, with Jesse Perry, Shamurad Umarov and West Virginia transfer Donovan Haslam in the mix. At right guard, the battle is between LSU transfer Ory Williams and Perry.
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For Tennessee, the immediate path to playing time appears to be tied to special teams, where King is expected to factor as a punt returner, while also giving the offense another option at slot receiver behind Braylon Staley. That combination makes him the kind of player whose role can grow quietly at first and then become hard to ignore once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]