The Tennessee Volunteers have a ton to prove on Saturday Afternoon as the team kicks off the season following a College Football Playoff appearance while being written off by a ton of analysts. The biggest reason that many are writing off Tennessee is the fact that Nico Iamaleava is now at UCLA which means Josh Heupel needs to break in a new quarterback.
When Iamaleava picked UCLA, the Tennessee Volunteers landed UCLA's projected starter Joey Aguilar. The former App State star comes with starting experience but, there's always some growing pains when a new quarterback steps into the offense.
One of the biggest keys for a team bringing a new starter into the team at quarterback is making sure he's well protected, giving him enough time to find his stars on the outside. Coming into the season, Tennessee had a ton of faith in their offensive line but, there was a wrinkle this week that threw a wrench into Josh Heupel's plans as David Sanders Jr a 5-star true freshman starter suffered an injury.
On Saturday Morning, David Sanders Jr came out for warmups in street clothes indicating that he won't be able to go in this game.
JUST IN: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Freshman OT David Sanders isn’t expected to play today after getting banged up in practice this week. Should be back soon I’m told. pic.twitter.com/DySVKmnlOX
— Austin Price (@AustinPriceless) August 30, 2025
Losing David Sanders Jr especially in the week of the game is a massive blow for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols now will be without their starting right tackle and a player who has the potential to be one of the best offensive linemen in the sport.
If Tennessee opts to turn to David Sanders Jr direct backup, we'll likely see redshirt Freshman Bennett Warren step into the lineup. The Vols may also opt to tinker with the group's positions to get experience in the lineup and redshirt Junior left tackle Brian Grant could flip to the right side of the offensive line.
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