The 2025 MaxPreps High School Player of the Year resides in the Volunteer State and is a target on Josh Heupel’s radar for the 2027 recruiting class. The award was given to David Gabriel Georges, an elite running back from the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN.
Georges is a five-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He’s listed as the No. 13 player in the class, the No. 2 running back in the cycle, and the top-ranked player from the state of Tennessee.
Just before Christmas, the six-foot back revealed his top eight finalists in his recruitment. Gabriel Georges listed Ohio State, Georgia, Auburn, Miami, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.
Gabriel Georges’ junior season at Baylor was nothing short of deserving for MaxPreps’ Player of the Year title. He helped lead his team to a perfect 12-0 record while winning the Division II-AAA State Championship, rushing for 1,756 yards and racking up 27 total touchdowns during the season. He was also named Mr. Football for his classification, further highlighting his dominance on the gridiron.
Gabriel Georges’ best game came against rival McCallie in the playoff semifinals, where he rushed for 431 yards and put up seven touchdowns on 32 carries.
“Hard-driving running back with the quickness and power to emerge as the centerpiece of an offense for a College Football Playoff contender,” 247’s Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins wrote about Gabriel Georges in October. “Already owns ready-to-play bulk as he tips the scales at just over 205 pounds and uses that weight to his advantage as he sheds tackles and bounces off contact. Quick out the chute with his acceleration as he picks a lane and motors forward. Reads blocks well, but can change course in the snap of a finger and get out of trouble.”
Honestly never seen anything like him. Best RB I’ve seen in my 36 years covering preps. DGG goes 60 yards for the go-ahead TD, just shredding tackle attempts along the way. @BaylorSchoolFB leads 31-28 and DGG has 288 yards rushing so far #bestofpreps pic.twitter.com/YAE06yPChB
— Stephen Hargis 🇺🇸 (@StephenHargis) October 4, 2025
More From RTI: How Tennessee Football’s Incoming, Outgoing Portal Movement Compares to the SEC
Gabriel Georges’ recruitment won’t come easy, but Tennessee has a foot in the door with the in-state prospect. The talented running back visited Knoxville for two Tennessee games last fall in matchups against Arkansas and Oklahoma in Neyland Stadium. He also made the trip to Knoxville twice last spring, including for the 865 Live recruiting weekend.
Tennessee also has some impressive recent history at the position to show Gabriel Georges to entice his recruitment. After current running back DeSean Bishop eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season in the Music City Bowl, Tennessee now boasts three straight seasons of 1K-yard rushers as a program: Jaylen Wright totaled 1,013 yards in 2023, Dylan Sampson racked up 1,491 yards in 2024, and Bishop hit 1,076 yards in 2025. Wright and Sampson both used their thousand-yard seasons to vault them into an NFL Draft pick, and Bishop could be on track for back-to-back seasons at the four-digit mark next year.
It’s unclear when Gabriel Georges will make cuts to his list of finalists, but Tennessee seems like a likely option to make the next group.
Tennessee football’s 2027 recruiting class currently contains four commitments, including four-star offensive tackle Princeton Uwaifo, four-star defensive line Kadin Fife, three-star cornerback Kamauri Whitfield, and three-star linebacker JP Peace. It currently ranks No. 13 in the nation and No. 5 in the SEC.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football recruiting news.
