Tennessee entered the 2025 season with David Sanders Jr. as the initial right Tackle, but has not yet come out to the field. Since the victory of the 45-26 season of the VOLS over Syracuse on August 30 to its overtime defeat 44-41 against Georgia in week 3, Sanders has been marginalized for a third consecutive game due to an injury.
Sanders ‘continuous absence has only fed the discussion about when it will finally debut, and the Josh Heupel vols offered an update on Sanders’ progress on Monday.
“Mentally, I think that every time someone in this game was Kured and it is not clear to play, it is a difficult battle,” said Heupel. “You grow, compete, you try, you prepare to go play. And it certainly has done so. And, (it is a unique injury that doctors are uncertain.
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“It’s not like a Sprint ankle. And I say that what means there is no definitive timeline. Simply will continue to do that and, hopefully, our doctors clarify at some relatively fast time.”
Sanders suffered the duration of the lesion the week of the Syracuse game and has been marginalized since then. While No. 15 Tennessee prepares to organize UAB on Saturday at the Neyland Stadium, Heupel remains optimistic about the state of Sanders.
“It’s the leg of the whole day,” said Heupel. “He doesn’t have control of it. Our medical staff is doing everything they can. I could get ready tomorrow. It is, sometimes, some healing and we hope it will happen before arriving on Saturday.”
Josh Heupel reflects on the hard trip of David Sanders Jr. with Tennessee
David Sanders Jr. was the best classified player in the 2025 recruitment class of Tennessee, qualifying as the number 6 player in the country, according to the classifications composed of 247Sports. The first year student of five stars was tabulated as an immediate holder in the right Tackle, but his injury did not allow him to do so.
Sanders’ potential impact signs were the obvious duration of the extra time of Tennessee before Georgia in week 3, and although he has been forced to wait, he has been patient over the reverse.
“He had to fight through that,” said Josh Heupel (through ON3). “Guy moves for being out there. It hurts a lot. Our football team, boys in their position room, you can see that.
“But he is also a good teammate, and I think, as a young boy, the course is through something that is a bit unknown is difficult. He has done a good job with that.”
In addition to Sanders, Tennessee has also been without a star player Jermod McCoyThat has not seen action this season yet.
Edited by Maliha
