2023 offensive lineman Brycen Sanders has a unique connection to Tennessee.

Sure, the Baylor School product plays high school ball just 116 miles south of Neyland Stadium. But it’s the connection between his dad and Vols offensive line coach Glenn Elarbee that is helping Tennessee stand out early in Sanders’ recruitment.

Elarbee and Gary Sanders played college football at Middle Tennessee State together and have remained close friends ever since.

“Coach Elarbee is a great guy,” Sanders told Volquest. “He’s known my dad since they were in college together on the same team. They’ve been great friends since then and he’s been a great coach everywhere he’s been. He’s just a great guy and a great coach.”

Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are the schools standing out most to Sanders. He camped with the Commodores this past Tuesday and with the Bulldogs on Thursday. He camped with the Vols on Friday night inside of Neyland.

“I just got better,” Sanders said of camping with the Vols. “Coach Elarbee is a great coach and he helped me with my footwork. The assistant coaches were great too, even the current players showing their enthusiasm to help me get better.

“It was big to be coached up by Coach Elarbee. We were in his office for an hour before the camp started going over my film and Tennessee’s film.”

Sanders will also camp with Alabama on June 19, with Kentucky on June 21 and with Ohio State on June 22.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound lineman hasn’t spoken with Tennessee about which position along the line he’ll play, but most schools are recruiting him as a guard. Sanders has been working at left tackle and right guard in preparation for his junior season.

“I’ll play anywhere they need me along the line,” Sanders said. “Colleges like how much I love the game, how much I care about the game, how hard I work and just my overall game. How smart I am and how physical I am out on the field.

“I’m a big Titans fan so I like watching Taylor Lewan, Nate Davis and Jack Conklin when he was there to try and model my game after.”

Having grown up in East Tennessee, a scholarship offer from the Vols on March 22 meant a lot to Sanders, who grew up attending multiple games in Knoxville.

“Almost everyone I know is a Tennessee fan and tell me to go to Tennessee and wear the orange,” Sanders said. “It’s the home state, I’m only an hour and a half away, so it definitely meant a lot.”

It’s still early in Sanders’ recruitment, but when it comes time to make a decision he’ll be looking for a coaching staff that is family-oriented.

“I want a good coaching staff, a good offensive line coach, but they have to be a family-oriented program with coaches that will take care of me,” Sanders said. “I want great fans, a great stadium atmosphere and good academics.”

Sanders currently has nine scholarship offers. In addition to the four schools that are standing out early on, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech have offered.