Big Ten Program Emerges As 'Real Contender' For Top-5 College Football Recruit

The Ohio State Buckeyes seemed to lead Big Ten Programs for one of the top available recruits in the country. They went all out for offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. when he last visited Columbus, but there now seems to be a familiar thorn in their side for the No. 1 offensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are now considered a real contender to land Sanders by On3 VP of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong, especially if the Huskers can get him on campus this weekend.

“If Nebraska can get him to campus this weekend, I think that they’re having good dialogue, good conversations with the family behind the scenes,” Wiltfong said on " Wiltfong Whiparound ". “I think people are viewing Nebraska as a real contender here with a few weeks to go in the David Sanders sweepstakes.”

The Cornhuskers aren’t strangers to landing some of the top targets in Columbus. They famously flipped Dylan Raiola to return to Lincoln as a legacy after prying him from the Georgia Bulldogs. He originally committed to the Buckeyes before flipping to Georgia.

On3 lists eight linemen in the 2025 recruiting cycle as five stars and Sanders is by far the highest ranked. He comes in as the No. 1 offensive lineman in the country, the No. 1 player in North Carolina, and the No. 2 overall player in the country according to On3’s Industry Rankings.

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