Tennessee Freshman OL David Sanders Named Preseason All-American By On3

The highly anticipated debut of former five-star prospect David Sanders is almost here. Sanders was rated as the best offensive lineman coming out of high school. On Tuesday, he was honored by On3, being named a preseason All-American ahead of the 2025 season.

NEW: On3 College Football Preseason True Freshman All-American Team🇺🇸

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It’s been a productive spring and offseason for Sanders, who has continued to earn the respect and recognition from the coaching staff, especially Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. Coach Heupel had this to say about Sanders after more than a week of fall camp practices.

“I thought David had done a good job, eight practices throughout training camp,” said Heupel. “I thought today, he handled himself extremely well. Really good player in spring ball,” said Heupel. Continue to grow mentally and physically, and then the fundamentals and technique. Through the early part of training camp, he’s done a really good job for a young football player. Expecting him to play at a really high level.”

Sanders has continued to add weight to his frame, nearly 40 more pounds than when he early enrolled in the spring. He caught up with the media in late July and dived into how he added weight.

“Actually, 38 pounds. But I just tell people 40 pounds because it is close enough and it sounds good. One thing I was worried about is if I put on all that weight, would I be able to move my feet, or would I be in worse condition? We do a lot of training so you get used to it,” said Sanders.

Sanders has gotten more powerful and is already seeing the difference in reps with opposing defensive linemen on the team.

“On yeah for sure. Being able to sit stuff down. We did one on ones for the first time (July 31st), going against Dominic Bailey. I remember in spring ball he bumping me and me just flying around,” said Sanders. “Today, I am actually able to sit it down. Definitely more powerful in the run game and more powerful in the pass game, being able to sit stuff down. That has been great for sure.”

Sanders is ready for his opportunity and feels no pressure to be a starter ahead of week 1 against Syracuse.

“I feel like it was an opportunity. I don’t feel any pressure from the coaching staff. Everybody is just taking it day by day. Nobody ever came to be and said, you got to be our starter. Even today, I was running with the ones, but I still have to come in every single day and work because your spot can be taken by anyone,” said Sanders. “You have to approach every day with the mindset that I want to get better, and you can make mistakes, but you can’t make the same mistake twice. That is what coach Heupel says a lot. There is no pressure at all to be a starter.”

While it is rare for Tennessee to start a true freshman, especially on the offensive line, Sanders has put himself in a position to do so in ten days when the Volunteers take on Syracuse. He could be the next great offensive lineman to come through the Tennessee program.