For five-star freshman offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., the opportunity to enroll early at Tennessee had two huge benefits.
First off was the ability to gain weight under the guidance of a collegiate nutrition program.
Sanders arrived from Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina, at 6-foot-6, 270 pounds. He had put on 20 pounds by the Orange & White spring game on April 12 and didn’t stop, so what about now?
“Actually, 38 pounds,” a smiling Sanders said Thursday in a news conference, “but I just tell people 40 because it’s close enough and it sounds good.”
The second plus for Sanders was having the opportunity to go up against Tennessee’s veterans on the defensive front. The two most experienced defensive linemen for the Volunteers, sixth-year seniors Dominic Bailey and Bryson Eason, are each 23 years old.