Ohio State offered elite 5-star recruit David Sanders more NIL money than their entire offensive line

The Ohio State Buckeyes recruited 5-star offensive tackle recruit David Sanders as hard as they could've. Ultimately, Sanders opted for Tennessee instead, staying closer to his home in North Carolina than a little further in Columbus, Ohio. One fascinating detail has emerged in the days after his decision, including how much Ohio State offered in NIL money.

On a recent episode of THE Podcast, Jeremy Birmingham revealed that Ohio State's NIL offer to Sanders was significant and more than what Tennessee offered. Tennessee did provide housing for Sanders as part of their NIL deal, which may have helped tip the scales. But Ohio State was willing to go far.

According to Birm, the Buckeyes offered Sanders more NIL money than their entire starting offensive line currently makes. That's significant, considering Ohio State was able to land Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin from the transfer portal over the last two years and retain star guard Donovan Jackson as he pondered entering the 2024 NFL Draft.

Even if Sanders started as a true freshman, which is exceedingly rare in college football, let alone Ohio State history, that's a huge commitment for one lineman. Ohio State also had Sanders meet with their medical school professors since that is an area Sanders has shown an interest in for life after football.

Sanders was complimentary of the Buckeyes throughout the process and said they made it surprisingly close.

"Ohio State was — I swear — right there,” Sanders said. “Ohio State, it wouldn’t have mattered that it was cold. I was almost there.”

“Everything,” Sanders said of what stood out about the Buckeyes. “Their development. They did a phenomenal job recruiting me. That was a hard decision between one and two.”

The difference? His relationship with Tennessee's staff.

“The personal feel,” Sanders said. “I feel like Tennessee had been recruiting me a little bit harder and longer than Ohio State. I felt at home more at Tennessee than I did Ohio State.”

Ohio State's offensive line efforts for 2026 are now more critical without Sanderson on the roster. They have offers on five linemen and are in the mix with several other top names. Immanuel Iheanacho is the biggest one to watch.