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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Five-star 2027 running back David Gabriel Georges ended his recruitment on Wednesday night, as the talented prospect chose Tennessee over Ohio State and Ole Miss.
For months, though, the battle seemed to come down to just the Buckeyes and Volunteers. And in the end, he’ll head to the SEC.
He attends Baylor School in Chattanooga, and though he’s from Quebec, Canada, made the move to the United States to play for the noted prep school. As it turned out, that decision helped build relationships with in-state Tennessee to get the Volunteers in the door with him.
Gabriel Georges is the No. 9 overall prospect and No. 2 running back in the Rivals Industry Ranking. But in the eyes of the Buckeyes, he was the top running back in not just his class, but in the 2026, 2027 and 2028 classes. That led Ohio State to not push as hard on other top prospects in other cycles, aiming for the star prospect in 2027.
Now, there’ll have to be a regrouping of sorts for the Buckeyes in not just the 2027 class, but a recalibration of what they should, and can, do in future classes as well. Ohio State has a 2028 commit in Elijah Newman-Hall, a top 100 prospect in the class.
While Gabriel Georges is headed to Tennessee, it’s certainly not for lack of effort on Ohio State’s part.
Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, when he held the same position at Oregon, gave Gabriel Georges his first FBS offer. The entire offensive coaching staff paid him a visit at Baylor School in early May. And for months, it seemed as if the relationships in that regard would win out as the Buckeyes didn’t just make him a priority, they made him the priority at running back.
But in the end, Tennessee — which had Gabriel Georges’ second official visit this summer — earns his commitment.
Both Ohio State and Tennessee made sizeable NIL offers to Gabriel Georges, who would’ve potentially upended any running back room he joined — both in dollar figure and with his talent. And in the seven weeks since his official visit to Ohio State concluded, Tennessee surged after Gabriel Georges visited Knoxville, aided by a massive NIL package for the talented running back.
Now, after more than a year of hype about what Gabriel Georges would do, a decision is complete. And the Buckeyes will have to adjust accordingly.
Ohio State’s 2027 class entered the day with 19 commitments, ranked sixth in the nation. As of now, there are no other running backs in the class.
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