“I’ll probably release, like, a top five or something in, like, February or March,” said Sanders, who’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 216 overall prospect and No. 8 interior offensive lineman in the 2023 class and the No. 5 junior from the state of Tennessee. “But the schools that I’m definitely looking at the hardest are, like, Tennessee, Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Georgia.”
Sanders, whose father played with Tennessee offensive line coach
Glen Elarbee at Middle Tennessee, said the Vols are one of a half-dozen teams “going after me the hardest,” along with Kentucky, Stanford, Auburn, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Sanders said both Heupel and Elarbee are talking with him “weekly, for sure.”
Tennessee, which finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, impressed Sanders with the progress it showed this season.
“They definitely outperformed anyone’s expectations,” he said. “I mean, they lost about 30 people in the transfer portal and still had seven wins and could get another one in the bowl game. Their offense probably averaged 30-something points a game. Even with a lot of injuries on the O-line, they still performed very well with a high-powered offense.”
Sanders said he’s interested in Tennessee because of the possibility of “staying in the state, just playing for the home state.” But that’s hardly the only reason he’s taking a hard look at the Vols.
“The crowd and the atmosphere, fans, is one of the best in the country,” he said. “And definitely Coach Elarbee and Coach Heupel, they’re one of the best in the country, and they’re continuing to build a great program.”
Elarbee and Heupel have given Sanders positive feedback based on his performance during his junior season.
“They just said I did really good, (and) continue to keep working, continue to get stronger,” he said. “They really like my versatility, how I can play basically anywhere.
“I think most people probably picture me (playing on the) interior. But I can also play tackle, too.”
Vanderbilt, Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech hosted Sanders for games this season in addition to Tennessee. He has his sights set on at least a couple of other schools he’s hoping to visit in the coming months.
“Stanford has offered me. They really want me to come out there,” he said. “Michigan hasn’t offered me, and they really want me to come up there. And then just schools down south want me to come back.”
He said he’s currently planning to “probably wait ‘til June” to begin taking his official visits.” He intends to decide on a college before the end of the summer.
“I still want to try to commit in July, after I take my officials and stuff,” Sanders said.
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