Coveted OL, Tennessee Target Sanders Previews Upcoming Junior Day

Tennessee is set to host some big time visitors for their upcoming Junior day next weekend. This is the first time since the fall that a lot of these kids will have visited campus, and it will be a big weekend for both the recruits and coaches as they look to start off this 2023 class. A lot of in-state talent is slated to be here, and one of those guys is coveted OL Brycen Sanders out of Baylor HS in Chattanooga. Volunteer Country on Sports Illustrated caught up with Brycen in a recent interview to preview the upcoming visit.

After a solid Junior year, Sanders is now focusing on offseason workouts and is set to be wrestling for Baylor this spring. His focus is to improve his game and athleticism to have an even better senior year. “I think my performance this past season was very good. I went up against 4-5 guys who had SEC offers, and I think I dominated.”

Now as far as recruitment, Brycen is hearing from Tennessee, Clemson, Auburn, Stanford and Georgia the most. 

What’s stood out about Tennessee for him is the offense. “I really liked Tennessee’s offense this past season and how they scored a lot of points playing fast. My relationship with the staff is very good, we talk weekly.”

For this upcoming Junior day, Sanders wants to continue to build that relationship with the coaches. He says that it’ll be good to see them in person again, as well as all the other top recruits slated to visit. He’s already had conversations with some of those guys. When asked about if he’s talked with other recruits, Brycen said “Definitely. Especially Joe Crocker and Ayden Bussell. Us three on the same team would be nasty.”

Sanders has been a long-time priority for Tennessee, and he has felt the love from the Vols staff for a while. 

I definitely think I am a high priority for them," Sanders told Volunteer Country in October. "I am two hours away from Knoxville, and they have already come out to watch me play once. They just tell me to continue to work and continue to develop, and we will see what happens."

The Chattanooga offensive lineman plans to announce his commitment this June, but says it may come sooner if he really likes somewhere. The biggest factor for him is comfort level and his relationship with the coaching staff. A commitment from Sanders would help Tennessee in more ways than one, as not only would they get a versatile offensive lineman that can play a lot of positions at a high level, but he is one of the widely respected in-state players and would be a key recruiting piece for the Vols.