Cleveland, OH
Why 2025 five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. chose Tennessee over Ohio State
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As “Rocky Top” blared from the speakers in the gym at Providence Day School, David Sanders Jr. sat and smiled as a host of reporters scurried to ask him questions.
In the previous five minutes, he had cried, laughed and exhaled. His college decision was finally set, and he could relax.
Sanders chose Tennessee over Ohio State, Nebraska and Georgia on Saturday afternoon, ending a months-long pursuit by the Buckeyes. Unfortunately for Ohio State, though, Sanders is headed to Rocky Top as the 2025 class is now in flux without any clear-cut options set to replace his spot.
The decision wasn’t easy for Sanders to make. There were thoughts that location was important for the Charlotte-native — Knoxville, Tennessee, is about a 3 1/2 hour drive, compared to Columbus, which is about a seven hour drive.
Sanders, though, squashed that on Saturday and gave a glimpse of how tantalizingly close the Buckeyes were to landing the No. 2 overall prospect, and No. 1 offensive tackle, in the 2025 class.
“A little bit, but Ohio State was — I swear — right there,” Sanders said. “Ohio State, it wouldn’t have mattered that it was cold. I was almost there.”
Sanders also credited Ohio State for the job it did recruiting him, noting that it was a very tough decision for him to decide between his first and second schools.
“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.”
While Sanders was going through the process, he relied on NBA forward and current Charlotte Hornet Grant Williams for guidance. Williams also attended Providence Day School and, like Sanders is about to do, attended Tennessee. The two have known each other since Sanders was in middle school.
Williams, the 2019 first-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics, told him about the recruiting process and the business aspect of things. He and Sanders talked about his clothing line months ago.
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As for NIL, while Williams wasn’t in college for that time of college athletics, he was able to offer guidance as to what was coming for him.
“I told him it’s going to be something you’ve never experienced in your life,” Williams said. “Both enjoy it, and be mindful. You’re there for a reason. You’re there to accomplish something. Those three years can be great, fun years, but your goal is to make it further down the line … He’s a special kid.”
In the end, though, Sanders felt that the Volunteers did just a bit more than anyone else — the Buckeyes included.
“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.”
A visit to Knoxville on the last weekend of July made his decision official, though he says he felt it from the time he took his official visit, as Ohio State’s most painful miss of the cycle came to fruition on Saturday.
“That solidified it for me,” Sanders said of the latest visit. “When I went there again, I thought, ‘I can’t wait any longer. I just got it done.’”
Wherever he went, he felt that he had the chance to start right away if he does the right things. The same goes for his team competing in the College Football Playoff.
And in a remarkably close decision, Sanders felt the Volunteers edged out the Buckeyes.
“I figure as long as I did what I had to do, I had a chance to start wherever I went,” Sanders said. “Tennessee definitely showed me clear cut, ‘As long as you do what you gotta do, you’re going to be our guy.’”
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Cleveland, OH
Gas prices surge, impacting Northeast Ohio delivery drivers and small businesses
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Gas prices continue to soar, hitting drivers’ wallets hard. Delivery drivers who rely on their cars for work face added expenses.
Kevin Tran hops on his bike every day to make money through DoorDash. He empathizes with his fellow food delivery workers who are paying surging gas prices.
“It’s a strain not only on their cars and mileage but just their everyday expenses,” Tran said. “They won’t get paid until they use up their own money to spend for gas.”
He has not owned a car in close to a decade because of how expensive it can be.
“The last time I remember paying for gas it was probably the better part of $2 and even then for myself that seemed like an expense that I wasn’t willing to pay for,” Tran said.
According to AAA, Monday’s national average for a gallon of gas was $3.95. That is 24 cents higher than last week and $1.02 higher than last month.
A 19 News crew found a gallon was $3.99 at a gas station in Cleveland off West 150th Street.
“You see it’s $60, so it is what it is and at this point I guess you have to do what you got to do,” one driver said.
For small businesses like A Slice Above in Strongsville, they rely on their delivery drivers to help serve customers.
Higher prices at the pump can potentially impact the bottom line.
“Delivering for the drivers that’s some thing I’ll probably have to add a little bit later but also my vendors who deliver to me will start charging me more for deliveries,” Don Bersacola, the shop’s owner, said. “That happened 10, 15 years ago. They added a delivery fee to my produce, my meats so when they deliver they’re going to start charging me more so then I have to eventually but I don’t like to do that because consumers are hurting right now so you can’t just pass everything on to them.”
Despite the rising costs for fuel, he plans to keep his prices steady.
“I’ve been here 33 years so I’ve been through a lot so I can hold on for quite some time, I think,” Bersacola said. “Some of the smaller, newer ones maybe not so but I’m pretty confident.”
For drivers, there is no end in sight for when gas prices might drop back down.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
ICE agents support Cleveland Hopkins International Airport TSA operations
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Hopkins International Airport confirmed there are “federal partners on-site” on Monday.
“These personnel are supporting TSA operations in a non-screening role, including assisting with passenger flow and divesting,” Cleveland Hopkins stated. “They are not conducting identification checks or screening passengers.”
Airport operations and passenger travel are not impacted by the federal agents’ presence at this time, Cleveland Hopkins said.
Cleveland Hopkins encourage travels to “proceed as usual and arrive as recommended for their flights.”
Leaders from both sides of the aisle have weighed in.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Vehicle collides with plane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, no injuries
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – An unoccupied vehicle tug collided with an unoccupied parked plane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport just before 1 a.m. Monday.
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers said the plane was a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321.
According to troopers, the vehicle tug had not been placed in a locked position, causing it to roll and collide with the aircraft.
Troopers added there were no injuries and the incident remains under investigation.
This happened the same day an Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on a runway while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
Pilot and copilot killed in collision between jet and fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport
The pilot and co-pilot were killed and many others injured.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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