Five-star Tennessee signee David Sanders Jr. has been the top-ranked offensive tackle in the Rivals250 from the very beginning of the rankings cycle but the race at the top tightened significantly toward the end of the process. The exceptional talent out of North Carolina was pushed by fellow five-star Michael Fasusi out of Texas, who signed with Oklahoma.
The decision to keep Sanders atop the offensive tackle rankings was not unanimous among the national analyst team. National recruiting director Adam Gorney and rankings director Adam Friedman give their takes on whether Fasusi should have jumped Sanders in the final rankings update.
RIVALS RANKING WEEK
Monday: Who should be the No. 1 QB in the 2025 Rivals250?
Tuesday: Final Five-Star Countdown for the 2025 class | Meet the new five-stars
Wednesday: Final Rivals250 released | Texas wins 2025 recruiting crown | Gorney's thoughts | Comparing 2025 five-stars to NFL stars | Players who blew up this cycle
Thursday: Final offensive position rankings revealed
Friday: Final defensive position rankings revealed
Saturday: Final state rankings revealed
Sunday: Rankings Roundtable
GORNEY'S TAKE: YES
I am a big fan of David Sanders and definitely think he not only has an argument to be a five-star prospect but also the No. 1 offensive tackle in the class. However, there is something to be said about showing up at the loaded Under Armour Game and completely dominating all week as Michael Fasusi did in Orlando.
We really started to like Fasusi a couple years ago when the Lewisville, Texas, five-star offensive tackle came to the Rivals Camp Series in Dallas and dominated as an underclassmen against some serious competition. He already had elite size, length and athleticism, and what stood out even more is that he didn't back down against anybody.
Over the next couple years, Fasusi only got bigger, better and tougher, and showed up at the Under Armour game to dominate. That's exactly what he did. That killer instinct cannot be taught and he should have a really special career at Oklahoma. One that warrants a move to No. 1 at the offensive tackle spot.
FRIEDMAN'S TAKE: NO
Having covered Sanders since he was in eighth grade, it was clear to me from day one that he had the potential to be not only a five-star but also the top-ranked offensive lineman in the 2025 Rivals250.
Over the years he grew, physically matured and developed impressive technical skills. It was also striking to see his evolution into a tough and physical athlete who could line up and be an impact defensive end as well.
Sanders played much of his junior season with a shoulder injury that required surgery in the offseason. While it would have been helpful to see Sanders perform at offseason events prior to his senior season and in competitive all-star games this month, I didn’t view his participation as a necessity to validate his ranking as the No. 1 offensive lineman in the class.
Fasusi has been awfully impressive in his own right throughout the last few years and topped off his high school career with an excellent performance at the Under Armour All-America Game earlier this month. It's no surprise to see him vault into the top 10 of the Rivals250 based on everything we've learned about him over the last few years.
But Sanders still deserved to maintain the top spot.
