Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Tuesday that North Carolina is a central recruiting center for Tennessee football players.
“This is a border state,” Heupel said before Tennessee began preseason practice on Wednesday, “and for us, we believe and see it as part of our footprint. We've been intentional about recruiting players from this state.”
Heupel's comments came as Tennessee is in the midst of an active bid to recruit five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who plays at Providence Day School in Charlotte. Heupel was not asked about Sanders and did not comment specifically on the nation's No. 2 prospect in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Tennessee had four schools commit in July and six in June, giving it the sixth-ranked class in the country.
Five-star David Sanders Jr. is Tennessee football's top target
Sanders has long been on the radar of Tennessee's staff as one of the most highly-anticipated prospects in the country.
Tennessee is in the final four for the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Sanders, along with Georgia, Nebraska and Ohio State. Sanders announced on Twitter that he plans to enroll on Aug. 17. Sanders, one of the top offensive linemen in the nation, has visited Tennessee multiple times, including an official visit in June.
“This month is a dead month, but we're getting ready to start training camp here and there's still a lot of recruiting opportunities for us,” Heupel said.
How Tennessee football acquired the University of North Carolina under coach Josh Heupel
Tennessee has signed three North Carolina prospects in the past three classes under Coach Heupel, marking the third class since Heupel was hired in January 2021.
On September 7, 2024, the University of Baltimore will face North Carolina State University in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the 2024 Dukes-Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers.
“North Carolina is really important to us,” Heupel said, “that's how we recruit players. The opportunity to play in-state in front of them in Week 2 is a really unique opportunity for us as a program as well.”
In 2022, the Vols signed pass rusher James Pierce Jr. In 2023, they acquired defensive lineman Davin Hobbs and wide receiver Nathan Leacock. Pierce was the top-ranked signee in 2022, while Hobbs and Leacock were two of the top four in the 2023 class.
“If you look at our initial recruiting class, a guy like James Pierce came into the program and really developed and improved as a player and a person,” Heupel said.
Charles House, a 6-foot-3, 288-pound promising defensive lineman from Charlotte, has committed to the class of 2025. Tennessee has players committed from 11 states in the 2025 class, including six top in-state prospects. UT has three of Tennessee's top four players committed.
The University of Tennessee football team has the sixth-largest enrollment in the nation.
Tennessee finished July on a strong start to recruiting, acquiring safety Lagonza Hayward on Saturday and tight end Dahsaan Brame on Sunday from Oregon, both four-star recruits.
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“I'm really excited about what our staff and players have been able to accomplish on the recruitment front. We're just coming off another great weekend,” Heupel said.
Hayward is ranked as the No. 10 safety and No. 95 player overall in the class of 2025 by the 247Sports Composite. He is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound prospect out of Toombs County High School in Lyons, Georgia. He chose Tennessee over Georgia and Florida. He also held offers from USC, Alabama, Florida State and South Carolina, among others.
Brame is 6-foot-6 and weighs 235 pounds from Derby, Kansas. He is the No. 5 tight end and No. 112 overall player in the 2025 class. He committed to Oregon on June 29 and then transferred to Tennessee. According to a report by 247Sports, Brame has taken official visits to Tennessee, Oregon, Oklahoma, Louisiana State and Ole Miss since April.
News Sentinel reporter Adam Sparks contributed to this report.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee sports. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @Mike WilsonIf you enjoy Mike's coverage, please consider a full-access digital subscription.
