After an impressive first season of college, Tennessee football offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. is reeling in the hardware. On Monday, On3 named him as one of the five offensive linemen to be named to its True Freshman All-American Team.
Sanders is joined by Alabama’s Michael Caroll, Oklahoma’s Michael Fasusi, Washington’s John Mills and Georgia’s Dontrell Glover on the list.
After starting the year battling an upper-body injury, the right tackle made his Tennessee and college debut on the road against Mississippi State. With Jesse Perry going down with an injury, he was inserted for his first college snaps on a game-tying drive to force overtime in Starkville.
Sanders appeared off the bench in a win over Arkansas and a loss at Alabama before making his first start on the road at Kentucky. He would hold onto that role for the remainder of the season while playing the majority of snaps at the position.
NEW: 2025 On3 College Football True Freshman All-American Team🔥
(via @CharlesPower) https://t.co/N4REo1wpJa pic.twitter.com/W7cp13Oaa6
— On3 (@On3sports) December 8, 2025
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According to PFF, Sanders played 425 snaps this season and accumulated a strong 67.2 overall grade. In pass blocking, he was given a 73.6 mark and as a run blocker, he was at 63.5. He was penalized just twice.
The expectation is that Sanders will return next season as a starter on the offensive line. If Lance Heard also returns, it’s likely that Sanders will stay at right tackle. However, if Heard enters the NFL draft, Sanders may flip sides back to left tackle, the position he has played his entire career up until this season.
Other potential returners that had plenty of experience on the line this year include center Sam Pendelton, guard Wendell Moe Jr., guard Sham Umarov and guard/tackle Perry.
