A-Deck: The latest intel on blue-chip offensive lineman David Sanders
Welcome to “A-Deck” at Lettermen Row, where I’ll bring you inside scoop, what I’m hearing, tidbits, thoughts, and more on Ohio State recruiting and team coverage every week.
Last week’s A-Deck shared buzz on a loaded Class of 2026 in the state of Ohio, and where the Buckeyes stand with each top prospect.
In this week’s edition, I provide the latest intel and scoop surrounding the nation’s top offensive tackle, David Sanders.
Recruiting starting to heat up for David Sanders
If you ask any Ohio State fan who follows recruiting what the program’s biggest need is, you’ll get a consensus, emphatic answer of “the offensive line”.
The Buckeyes are off to a strong start in 2025 on the o-line with the On3 Industry’s No. 35 overall player, Carter Lowe, in the hopper, but Justin Frye would like to add at least two, and possibly three other big time talents to pair with the Toledo (OH) Whitmer star
Without a doubt, the number one target on Ohio State’s list is Charlotte (NC) Providence Day School’s David Sanders, a five-star prospect, the nation’s second-ranked overall player and the number one offensive lineman per the On3 Industry Rankings.
If you asked me in the beginning of the year, I would have said the Buckeyes are a long shot in this one. But an intensified effort by the staff landed OSU in Sanders’ top six, alongside Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina, and two visits to Columbus in the last month have the Scarlet and Gray now right in the middle of this one.
Sanders is planning to take official visits in June and then will follow with a decision shortly after those, likely sometime in July or early August, before his season starts. With the dust somewhat settling following spring visits, it’s time to take a deeper look at where things stand with the blue-chip prospect.
Ohio State making big play for Sanders
As mentioned above, three months ago the thought of Sanders landing in Columbus when it’s time to decide was nothing more than a pipe dream. Boy, have things changed since then.
Led by Frye, offensive line assistant Mike Sollenne, and head coach Ryan Day, among others, the Buckeyes significantly picked up the effort and intensity in recruiting Sanders since the calendar year turned, and those efforts have paid off in a big way.
Sanders and his family returned to Columbus in April for the spring game, and the visit could not have gone any better. It went so well in fact, that the Sanders family was looking to get back to Ohio State in May to make sure what they felt while on campus wasn’t just a “visit high”. They made that trip this past weekend and their feelings were validated, with me now having OSU firmly in Sanders’ top two.
When it comes to what OSU has going for them, there are a few things. The plan the staff has to develop Sanders on and off the field has gone over very well with the family. The staff tries to showcase real life examples to back up what they’re saying all the time, and having both Paris Johnson Jr., someone who David models himself after, and his mother Monica Daniels vouching for the program and building a personal relationship with the Sanders family has only helped that.
Additionally, the opportunity to win Big Ten and national titles, the (strong) chance to play early, the family-feel within the program, and the ability to be extremely competitive in the NIL space, are all playing a significant role in the Scarlet and Gray making a charge here.
The biggest challenge for Ohio State lately has centered around distance from home. Looking at the rest of the top six, OSU is the clear outlier and only program not located in the South. I have been told by a source that is close to the Sanders family that the concern about distance from home is not as present anymore. The multiple trips within the last month have made the Sanders camp feel comfortable with the short plane ride to Columbus, and as we get closer to decision time the focus is more on “finding the best fit for David, even if that means being a bit further from home”, per the source.
Again, right now I have Ohio State as a top-two school for Sanders, maybe even at number one, but there is still a ways to go in this recruitment. The Buckeyes do have the last official visit, the weekend of June 21, and I do think that is important, as it gives them a chance to leave a lasting impression before the elite tackle goes into decision mode.
Tennessee the biggest threat to the Buckeyes
I originally wrote last week that I felt Georgia was the biggest threat to Ohio State in this race, and that still could be the case in the end (more on that below), but On3’s Steve Wiltfong believes Tennessee is actually the other top team in this one right now, and sources inside the WHAC agreed with that sentiment following the latest visit.
The Vols have reason to feel good after receiving two visits within a couple of weeks from the big-time prospect, very similar to what Ohio State just experienced. Josh Heupel‘s program is on the rise, has done a great job of building relationships with Sanders, is very competitive in the NIL space, and also offers the opportunity to compete for a starting job from day one.
As things currently stand right now, there is no doubt the Volunteers are the top threat to OSU when it comes to landing Sanders’ pledge, but there are others jockeying to take that position away from both programs.
Don’t sleep on Georgia
At one point, this recruitment was viewed as a Clemson vs. Georgia battle for Sanders, but the Bulldogs seemed to have lost momentum a bit over the past few months. While I agree with that sentiment, I wouldn’t sleep on the Bulldogs.
A source very familiar with this recruitment and one that has contact with the Sanders family believes that Kirby Smart‘s program could eventually be one of the final two hats on the table when it comes to the five-star. The Dawgs obviously are in a great position to win a national title, having won two in a row in 2021 and 2022, have shown they will put elite freshmen on the field early, can compete in the NIL space, can develop linemen for the NFL, and more.
All of that combined, coupled with how good of a recruiting staff Smart has assembled, has my source believing that UGA will make a surge in this recruitment come June when Sanders is back in Athens for his official visit.
The others in the race
The aforementioned Clemson has been thought of as the odds-on favorite by many analysts covering this recruitment. The Tigers’ campus is located just two hours from Charlotte, and the staff did a great job of building an early, strong relationship with Sanders and his family. Dabo Swinney has a track record of winning, although not as much of late, putting players in the NFL, and having a strong family feel around the program. That said, while NIL isn’t the end all be all in this recruitment, it is a factor, and other staffs I have spoken to are not sure the Tigers will be able to be competitive in the space, which could impact their standing here a bit. Clemson has the next official visit for Sanders, the weekend of May 31, and will make their play to land the blue-chipper then.
Fellow Palmetto State program, South Carolina, actually hosted Sanders for an official visit in April, and there was some buzz around the Gamecocks following that trip. The bad news for Shane Beamer and staff is that Sanders is not slated to return to Columbia before a decision is made, although, as we saw with a trip to Columbus last weekend, an unofficial visit is not out of the questions. USC is only 1 hour and 30 minutes from Charlotte, which definitely is an advantage, but I am not sure I see the Gamecocks really being a true threat in this one.
Finally, Alabama is the sixth team in this race. Kalen DeBoer is no slouch, but I think the Tide would have a much better shot if Nick Saban was the guy bringing the closing pitch on the official visit. Alabama did host Sanders for a two-day visit in March, and by all accounts that trip went well, but they’re going to need to make up significant ground on the official visit June 18-20 if they want to upset the other five schools vying for Sanders’ services.
What’s next?
Easy answer to that question, barring any surprise visits, is that Sanders will now take official visits in June. His schedule is as follows:
May 31-June 2: Clemson
June 7-June 9: Georgia
June 14-June 16: Tennessee
June 18-June 20: Alabama
June 21-June 23: Ohio State
Following those visits, Sanders is supposed to shut things down and enter decision mode. He wants to make a decision by the time his senior season starts, so expect a commitment at some point in July or early August at the latest.
Knowing the type of kid Sanders is and his family makeup, once he makes a decision that should be it for his recruitment, barring a coaching change or some other significant event impacting his initial school of choice.
The post A-Deck: The latest intel on blue-chip offensive lineman David Sanders appeared first on On3.
