David Sanders injury update: Josh Heupel explains Tennessee OT not playing Week 2

David Sanders Jr. didn’t play in Tennessee‘s 72-17 win over East Tennessee State on Saturday, after also missing the Volunteers’ season-opening win against Syracuse. Following the win on Saturday, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel revealed further details on the team’s decision to not play Sanders.

“Anticipated him being ready,” Heupel said. “Ultimately, medical decided for him for us, it probably wasn’t the best move to play him today and that’s why they made the decision they did.”

Heupel previously revealed Sanders was “nicked up” in practice the week leading up to Tennessee’s showdown against Syracuse. Heupel also said he anticipated Sanders to play in Week 1, until the medical staff advised otherwise.

Tennessee fans can only hope Sanders is fully healed for the team’s Week 3 showdown against Georgia. In fairness, the Volunteers’ offensive line has been fine without Sanders through the first two weeks of the season.

Tennessee hasn’t allowed a single sack yet in the 2025 campaign. It’s an impressive feat for the Volunteers’ front five, which only returned one starter from last season.

Tennessee added two offensive linemen through the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, along with freshman David Sanders Jr. Sanders was a five-star prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Despite his prestigious background, Sanders didn’t come to Tennessee with a sense of entitlement. In the spring, Sanders discussed the importance of remaining humble as he attempts to earn snaps for the Volunteers.

“You have to come in and work hard,” Sanders said. “You don’t want to come in cocky or arrogant because that’s how you create animosity within the room. You just have to come in and be humble, have a good attitude and work hard.

“I feel like if you work hard you will get the results that you want. So it’s not getting too far ahead, it’s being where your feet are planted. Just being out there right now you can feel like you are not ready to start right now, but if you just keep working you should be one of the best five we have.”

David Sanders Jr. will have a week to continue to recover. On Saturday, Tennessee will square off against Georgia (2-0) at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be inside Neyland Stadium and air live on ABC.