Tennessee May Be Ohio State's Biggest Threat In David Sanders Jr. Sweepstakes

Recently the top offensive tackle prospect in the country announced his final four schools and set his commitment date. Could this recruiting battle come down to the Tennessee Volunteers versus the Ohio State Buckeyes?

Sep 24, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; A black helmet sits on the sideline as part of the special uniform the Ohio State Buckeyes will wear in the NCAA Division I football game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Ncaa Football Wisconsin Badgers At Ohio State Buckeyes / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Recently, the top offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class announced his final four schools and set his commitment date for August 17th. David Sanders Jr., the highly-coveted five-star prospect from North Carolina will be keeping the Ohio State Buckeyes, Tennessee Volunteers, Georgia Bulldogs and Nebraska Cornhuskers clinging to the edge of their seats for about a month.

When the initial announcement was made, Nebraska was a surprise addition to the group of four teams. According to Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong of On3, the Cornhuskers may actually sit on the exact same tier as Georgia when it comes to the chances of landing Sanders. As for the Buckeyes and Volunteers, this may potentially be a two school race for the tackle.

Five-Star Plus+ OT David Sanders Jr. is set to announce his commitment on August 17⏳@ChadSimmons_ and @SWiltfong_ rank Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia and Nebraska in the battle for the nation's top OT🔥

Read: https://t.co/pH2clR9X7e pic.twitter.com/t9ifQAmRXJ

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) July 11, 2024

With the two recruiting experts in agreement when creating these two tiers, it should add some added belief for Ohio State and Tennessee supporters. This does also potentially confirm some rumors that have been circulating on recruiting message boards when it comes to these two schools being the current front runners.

On3 currently has the Buckeyes as the No. 1 class in 2025 with 23 commits, while the Volunteers are No. 15 with 16 commits.

David Sanders Jr. took his official visit to Columbus on June 21st, just one week after visiting Tennessee on June 14th. With some more time to think things over before making an official decision, perhaps Sanders could return to both schools for unofficial visits in an attempt to aid his decision.

The home stretch to the finish line will be fascinating, yet nerve-racking to watch.