While pledges for the 2025 recruiting class are flooding in, one of the nation’s best players is still up for grabs.The Tennessee Volunteers may find it to be encouraging.

One five-star recruit for the next class is David Sanders Jr. After graduating from Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, he is regarded as the top offensive tackle in the nation.

Sanders plans to pledge to one of four teams: Tennessee, Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, or Nebraska Cornhuskers on August 17.

Sanders receives a different recruitment pitch from each of these programs. His remarks regarding the Volunteers program, however, suggest that Josh Heupel, the head coach, has an advantage over the other schools.

“I adore the coaching staff at Tennessee.” Sanders told On3, “Coaches Josh Heupel and 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.”

Sanders is not the only recruit from 2025 to make remarks such to this regarding the Volunteers. 4-star pledge Mariyon Dye discussed how important it was for him and the coaches to have a good relationship and how that helped him choose Tennessee.

Heupel is still establishing a robust culture at Tennessee. In his three seasons as head coach, he has a 27-12 record, with 20 victories in the previous two years. In the meanwhile, his 2025 recruiting class is now ranked No. 13 in the nation, which is consistent with the rankings of his prior recruiting classes.

Securing a commitment from a 5-star recruit such as Sanders might elevate the 2025 class to a higher level and potentially attract the attention of future recruiters.