SerpApi.Org
COLUMBUS — David Gabriel Georges has been trending toward picking Tennessee over Ohio State for the last few weeks. Now that is official: he committed to play for the Volunteers on Wednesday, ending a three-year recruitment for the country’s premier tailback.
Gabriel Georges is the No. 9 overall player in the class of 2027, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He’s the No. 2 overall tailback and the top player in the state of Tennessee for his class. And he’s the best prospect to come out of Canada, where he’s originally from, in years.
So it’s easy to see why the Buckeyes put all of their recruiting eggs into the David Gabriel Georges basket for the last few years. Carlos Locklyn was the first coach to offer Gabriel Georges and has since built a great relationship with the five-star tailback and his family. Ohio State passed on key tailback recruits — including five-star players in the last class and this class — to earn his pledge.
Yet now he’s committed to Tennessee, and Ohio State has no committed running backs for its 2027 class.
Ohio State seemed to be in the lead in this recruitment for the last year. Rivals expert Steve Wiltfong and others even had Recruiting Prediction Machine picks in for the Buckeyes to land the talented tailback. And that position was solidified in May, when Gabriel Georges took his official visit to Ohio State — and reportedly loved it.
“At one point, all the staff was there and I had to introduce myself to the staff, the families and everyone else there,” Gabriel Georges told Lettermen Row after his visit. “Just being able to present who I came with. My little cousin, my mom, my dad. I just told them where I’m from, Canada, and everybody was really supportive. They made me speak French for everyone, so it was nice. It was pretty fun.”
But since then, the Volunteers have come through with a lucrative set of offers, including a promised starting job, the No. 0 jersey and extra perks for he and his family, to go with a great relationship of their own.
And now after years of battling for his pledge, Ohio State has lost that battle to Tennessee. Five-star running back David Gabriel Georges is committed to play for the Volunteers.
Ohio State must now find Plan B at running back for the 2027 recruiting class.
