The Josh Heupel era in Rocky Top came with a resurgence of the Tennessee offense and coincided with an equally seismic shift recruiting some of the top offensive prospects around the country.
*** RELATED: Analysis of Sanders-to-Tennessee announcement***
No player embodies this new chapter of Volunteers football more than Nico Iamaleava, entering what should be a breakout season as he gets his first full offseason preparing as the QB1. Signing Iamaleava in 2023 was the start of a trend for Tennessee inking some of the top passers in the nation year in and year out, a theme that's recently been amplified by the addition of the 2026 QB Faizon Brandon.
The Vols haven't only been bringing in blue-chip quarterbacks regularly. The emphasis on recruiting in the trenches, and in particular, protecting those blue-chip quarterbacks, has been uplifted in a significant fashion since Heuepel and this staff arrived in Knoxville. That's never been more evident in this 2025 recruiting class, which took another massive leap forward with the commitment of five-star OT David Sanders Jr.
SANDERS WOULD RANK AMONG BEST-EVER TO INK WITH VOLS
When Sanders signs with Tennessee, he will be the highest-ranked offensive lineman to enter the program -- ahead of Drew Richmond (No. 12 in the Rivals250 for 2015), 2023 NFL Draft No. 10 overall pick Darnell Wright (No. 16 in the Rivals250 for 2019) and Brandon Jeffries (No. 19 in the Rivals250 for 2002).
The elite offensive tackle out of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day High is also one of the highest-rated overall recruits to fall for the Vols. When he inks, he'll rank only behind 2009 No. 1 overall player Bryce Brown and Iamaleava, who in 2023 was the No. 2 overall player in the Rivals250. Sanders is currently standing No. 3 in the Rivals250 for this 2025 class. The legendary Eric Berry was also No. 3 in the Rivals250 back in 2007.
HEUEPEL, VOLS HAVE BEEN ON AN UPWARD TRACK RECRUITING OL
The offensive blueprint in Knoxville has been heavy on the emphasis on premium positions such as quarterback, pass-catchers and offensive line.
Since Heuepel and Glen Elarbee arrived on campus in 2021, Tennessee has been successfully padding the team's overall depth up front as well as upgrading the talent.
This staff's first full recruiting haul in 2022 included five offensive linemen, something only accomplished four times in the Rivals era. Heupel and Elarbee have signed five offensive linemen each of the past three recruiting cycles. In that stretch, each class has had a full RR grade improvement with an average of 5.8 in the 2024 class.
The addition of Sanders bolsters Tennessee's total group of linemen up to three for this cycle, joining five-star OL Douglas Utu and three-star OL Antonio Ogumoro. When the ink dries on the Vols' 2025 class, it would stand as Tennessee's highest-rated group of OL (average RR: 6.0) in the Rivals era -- ahead of a six-OL class in 2015 that included Richmond (average RR: 5.7) and the 2019 haul that featured Wright (average RR: 5.9). It would also continue the trend up improving the average ranking to a fourth consecutive cycle.
