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In-state 2027 Safety High on Tennessee Football with Commitment Approaching

Blue-chip 2027 safety Omarii Sanders updates where the Tennessee Volunteers stand in his recruitment as he works toward an approaching commitment.
Shayne Pickering|
Franklin Road Academy (TN) 2027 versatile safety recruit Omarii Sanders
Franklin Road Academy (TN) 2027 versatile safety recruit Omarii Sanders | Shayne Pickering

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Tennessee Volunteers

The coaching staff at Tennessee has made recruiting the home state a priority since arriving in Knoxville and the strong amount of blue-chip prospects in-state for the 2027 cycle presents an opportunistic situation to secure one of the top overall classes in the nation.

One of those blue-chip recruits is Omarii Sanders, a versatile 6-foot-4 safety at Franklin Road Academy, who updated his recruitment and commitment timeline with Vols on SI following a massive win on Friday night.

Omarii Sanders
Omarii Sanders is photographed at Franklin Road Academy’s football field Tuesday, September 9, 2025. | Alan Poizner/For The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He was in attendance as Tennessee hosted conference rival Georgia a couple of weeks ago and came away impressed with how invested the fanbase is into the program which inevitably leads into Neyland Stadium boasting arguably the best gameday atmosphere in college football.

"It was great. It is definitely one of the loudest stadiums I have ever been to. The crowd, they love football at Tennessee, I'd definitely say that."

As his high school team picked up the victory in the biggest game of his regular season, Sanders had a momentum-shifting interception that he returned for 55 yards, showing his playmaking ability as a deep safety that complements his hard-hitting ability.

The Tennessee defense under Tim Banks has been known to make plays, including this season where they lead the nation in sacks and are among the top in tackles for loss, turnovers forced, and defensive touchdowns.

"I like how serious he is and how straightforward he is. He is really straightforward with his defenses and with the players. He is a good teacher I would say," he said about the defensive coordinator.

Josh Heupel, Banks, and the rest of the staff has done a strong job recruiting the in-state prospect as he enters the final stretch of his recruitment after narrowing his list down to five options: Georgia, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.

With his focus solely on these five programs, he is working to reach a decision before the end of the year with an ideal timeline for a public announcement already in mind.

"I am planning on committing around November," Sanders told Vols on SI.

As Omarii Sanders enters the final stretch of his recruitment that consists of interest from some of the best college football programs in the country, Tennessee continues to be a school to watch down the stretch leading in to his ideal November decision.

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Shayne Pickering
SHAYNE PICKERING

Shayne Pickering is a multimedia journalist with experience covering a variety of collegiate programs. He has several years of experience covering teams within the college athletics scene.

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