Marion DT TJ Sanders (6-4 285) isn’t looking to make a decision until the fall, but he is starting to make some progress towards that moment. He said four schools are grabbing his attention the most at this point…USC, NC State, Vanderbilt and West Virginia. Those are the schools he hears from the most, and those are the four he is planning to set official visits with.
“All of them, we talk about football but every now and then we’ll talk about other stuff like how I’m doing, what’s going on, TV and Netflix, stuff like that,” Sanders said. “They are keeping it cool.”
From USC’s standpoint, Sanders said Will Muschamp and new defensive tackles coach Tracy Rocker are in regular communication.
“I haven’t really talked to them about how they would be playing me, we’re probably going to have the conversation real soon,” Sanders said. “I’ve been talking to Coach Muschamp and Coach Rocker. One of them will call me one day and the other will call me another day. Both of them text me every day.”
Sanders said Rocker did not recruit him while he was at Tennessee, so they’ve been building a relationship since he arrived in Columbia in mid-February. Their relationship is growing, and Sanders can see himself being a fit in Rocker’s defensive line.
“Me and him could be good together,” Sanders said. “He’s a fun, hard working coach and that’s the kind of coach I’m looking for. He likes my potential. This (last season) was my first year (playing football). He would try to get the most out of me. He sees a lot of things I can improve on that he can help me with.”
After a flurry of offers in April, things have tapered off for Sanders. NC State was his most recent offer. He also has offers from Wake Forest, Syracuse, Tennessee, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech and East Carolina.
Sanders has a three-star rating in the 247Sports Composite, and is the 39th ranked defensive tackle in the country and the #5 prospect in South Carolina.
