As the top uncommitted prospect in America, there’s few players with more eyes on them heading into the summer than Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle David Sanders.
The Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day star and No. 2 overall recruit, Sanders is set for a busy month of June. Official visits to Clemson (June 1), Georgia (June 7), Tennessee (June 14), Alabama (June 18) and Ohio State (June 21) are on the docket.
He told On3’s Josh Newberg on Tuesday at the On3 Elite Series, an educational seminar discussing the new era of NIL and navigating life after football, that each school is on even footing.
The latest intel suggests that two teams rising up his list have been Tennessee and Ohio State, though.
And that could be due in some part to the relationships he has with their quarterback commits — George MacIntyre (Tennessee) and Tavien St. Clair (Ohio State).
“Him and Tavien, those two guys have been on me more than some of the coaches have, to be honest,” Sanders said. “They do a good job just building that relationship. Me and George had a relationship before he committed to Tennessee, so it was pretty easy for him to switch it over and say, ‘Hey, come to Tennessee and block for me.’ Because we played video games together all the time and stuff. So it was pretty cool when he committed, just being proud of him as a friend.
… And Tavien, I met him more recently when I went to that Ohio State visit over the spring. But he’s been very down-to-earth, and he’s just getting to know me and I’m getting to know him. So I look forward to building that relationship with him. But yeah, him and George do a phenomenal job.”
Both are expected to join Sanders on his official visits to Columbus and Knoxville next month.
Sanders goes in-depth on top six schools
In an interview with On3’s Steve Wiltfong on Tuesday, Sanders broke down each of his top six schools and what stands out about them:
Alabama: “Definitely with the new coaching staff. Obviously the facilities are top-notch, the surrounding area is very safe, they win a lot of games, national championships. I would say with the new coaching staff, that personal connection is a lot different from when Coach (Nick) Saban and the other guys were there. It’s just a different feel when you go down there now. I think Coach (Kalen) DeBoer’s going to do great things and just getting guys to get down there to see it is going to be a big deal.”
Clemson: “I love Coach (Dabo) Swinney. Been a big fan of Clemson since I was a little kid. Coach (Matt) Luke has been amazing, me and him have a great relationship…such a quick amount of time of him getting hired to now, it’s just been amazing. He’s come to my school multiple times from January to now, he’s been there every time. We’ve talked about the depth chart, watched my film, watch their film, where I can come fit in at, make a difference. He’s done a phenomenal job since he’s been there, and then overall everything about Clemson, I love it.”
Georgia: “Georgia is Georgia. You want to go there, go to the NFL, that’s the place to go. Coach Smart has done a great job, me and Coach (Stacy) Searels have a great relationship, he’s been recruiting me since he was at UNC so me and him go way back. I think they’re doing a great job with the guys that they brought in in that 2024 class … Mason Short‘s coming in to Georgia and that’s one of my really good friends in this whole entire recruitment process. So Georgia’s done a great job, they were one of my early offers, my 10th offer as a freshman, so they’ve been on me really early, so Georgia’s always been at the top of the list.”
Ohio State: “I would say they were always in the mix for sure, because I liked Ohio State. Obviously they’re known for making great offensive tackles … seeing that as a young kid, like I can go there and do the same thing. Ohio State got the bump early because I had only been there one time until recently. Ohio State is different, but they’ve done a phenomenal job, coming up there for the spring a couple of times and being around that program … I just think Coach (Justin) Frye is an amazing offensive line coach, he’s shown that he can develop guys and push them to the next level. He’s very passionate in everything that he’s doing … I feel like his coaching style and my playing style can mesh really good.”
Tennessee: “I just love Tennessee’s coaching staff. Coach (Josh) Heupel and Coach (Glen) Elarbee, they do a great job with that personal connection. I think out of anybody, they do the best job calling, texting, just staying in contact with my parents and building that relationship. I just feel like you can be yourself at Tennessee, there’s nothing you have to do differently, even though it’s a big SEC school that wins a lot of games and is in contention for winning national championships year in and year out, that’s a place you can go and freely be yourself. I feel like you can go there, develop and be the first big-time offensive tackle to come out of Tennessee. They have everything you need to do to be successful there.”
South Carolina: “They’re still in it, for sure. It’s very close to home and my family is my biggest thing. I would still put them in it, I love Coach (Lonnie) Teasley and everything they stand for. Josiah Thompson, Kam Pringle, those are two guys that just came in in the 24 class and they’ve been very successful, I watched them in the spring game, they’re out there starting, so that just goes to show that you can go in there, do you what you’ve got to do and you can be very successful. I would still put them in it, it’s just that they got the early visit, cause there’s only so many weekends in June.”
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