The future is bright for South Carolina Gamecocks football player T.J. Sanders. The defensive back has strong prospects in the NFL draft, especially after a great showing at Pro Day.
Now he's reminiscing on how he once thought he'd be aiming for the NBA, but today it's the NFL that he has his sights on.
In an interview after Pro Day, he told Claire Foley of Fox: "It's been crazy. Like one minute you think you're going to the NBA. Next minute you're just a footstep away from the NFL. Man, it's just crazy how your life can change in a blink of an eye..."
He continued, noting: "I'm just thankful, man. Just taking it all in... Brothers I've got for life now, just straight off football. I couldn't be more blessed."
TJ Sanders on how he used to think one day he'd play professional basketball, but now it's all football
"Just crazy how your life can change in the blink of an eye"@GamecockFB | @wachfoxpic.twitter.com/XlWs84ZGSG
— Claire Foley (@clairefoleytv) March 18, 2025
A scouting report from Bleacher Report notes that T.J. Sanders is "violent and strong at the point of attack" and has "upper body strength to shed blocks."
And an analysis by PFF suggested that Sanders would be a great choice for the Kansas City Chiefs, due to his size and quickness. "Sanders' ability to line up in so many different spots will allow Chris Jones to continue moving all over the line to find advantageous match-ups for the Chiefs," they note.
The Southern Rivals CFB Show noted that the Gamecocks might have "historical success" in this year's NFL draft. They cited Sanders among the 11 players with high draft potential.
You can see a full markup of South Carolina's Pro Day results in the tweet below.
South Carolina's Pro Day results pic.twitter.com/DvodWEvLcA
— Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) March 18, 2025
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 3:40 PM.