Tennessee star earns true freshman All-American honors after breakout season

Despite a mediocre season in Knoxville, there is still plenty to be excited about when it comes to Tennessee football. The Volunteers brought in one of the top classes in the nation, and they bring back one of the most talented offenses in college football.

There's no doubt that building in the trenches is the key to success on offense. Good news for Vols fans is that one of their top offensive lineman received a prestigious honor today.

On3 released their true freshman All-American team today, and it featured Tennessee football offensive tackle David Sanders Jr.

David Sanders Jr. named true freshman All-American

Josh Heupel targeted Sanders very early in the recruiting process, and it has already proved to pay massive dividends. Sanders was ranked as the sixth player in the 247Sports composite in 2025. Tennessee beat out pretty much every big-name school for his pledge. Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, and Alabama were all after Sanders. As a three-sport star in high school, the tape pops with his natural athleticism.

The former 5-star recruit had high hopes, and he's lived up to the hype so far. This year, he played in eight games and logged 425 snaps for Tennessee. Sanders registered an overall 67.2 grade on Pro Football Focus and boasted an impressive 73.6 pass blocking grade.

The primary concern coming out of high school was if Sanders could handle the SEC physicality so early in his career, and news flash, he sure can. Another great note about the true freshman tackle is that one of his best games came against Alabama, a perennial SEC powerhouse. Sanders is just scratching the surface on so many levels of his game, and he's already proving to be a top tackle in the nation.

This might sound bold, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sanders hears his name called on day one of the NFL draft in a couple of years. He's that good. Having Sanders anchor down the offensive line sets Tennesse football up for significant success in 2026.

Football starts in the trenches and the Vols found themselves and absolute beast.