Tennessee Football is in the middle of an intense recruiting battle for the top player in the Volunteer State, with five-star running back David Gabriel Georges. The Baylor School (Chattanooga) product was on Tennessee’s campus for an official visit last weekend, and all seemingly went well. He’s reportedly planning on making a decision between Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Georgia around the end of next month.
The Volunteers are putting a lot of stock and effort into Gabriel Georges’ recruitment, regardless of any rankings or star systems. Josh Heupel and his staff see him as a player who can make a massive impact for their team down the road.
Rivals released an update to its Industry Rankings on Wednesday, and it is worth noting that Gabriel Georges fell two spots on the list. He was previously at No. 13, and now he’s at No. 15 in the class. Gabriel Georges is still the second-ranked running back in the class behind No. 7 overall prospect Kemon Spell (Georgia commit), and he still ranks as the top player from the Volunteer State as a whole.
The industry rankings are a “proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all three primary recruiting media services (247, Rivals, ESPN),” according to Rivals.
Rivals’ Top 300 has him at No. 24, 247Sports has him at No. 12, and ESPN has him at No. 23 in their respective site rankings.
Updated Rivals Industry 5-stars after the latest rankings release‼️
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— Rivals (@Rivals) June 10, 2026
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Gabriel Georges is an incredibly talented prospect in the 2027 cycle and one that Tennessee hopes to keep in-state. He’s got the combination of size, speed, and power to be an elite running back in the SEC and a true difference-maker in whichever program he chooses.
“Violent runner who pairs high-end vision with supreme tackle-breaking ability,” Rivals’ Charles Power writes about DGG in an evaluation. “Measured at around 5-foot-11, 200 pounds as a junior. Dominant runner on Friday nights, turning in a historic run of big-game performances as a junior while leading his team to a state title. Has a viscerally violent and aggressive running style. Plays with outstanding vision, setting up and reading blocks. A natural who can pick his way through the line of scrimmage with instincts and lateral agility. An absolute load to tackle at the second level with elite contact balance and power.”
Last month, Gabriel Georges posted a clip of himself running a 40-yard dash, which had a laser clock-in time at 4.38 seconds.
To put that number in perspective, it would’ve been tied for the 20th-best 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine this past March. It would also have been the fourth-best time among running backs at the combine, trailing only Mike Washington’s 4.33, Jeremiyah Love’s 4.36, and Demond Clairborne’s 4.37. The time is 0.11 seconds faster than Jadarian Price, who went as the final pick in the first round last month.
Tennessee currently has 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle, which ranks 30th in Rivals’ 2027 team rankings. The Vols’ class features four-star WR Kesean Bowman, four-star OT Princeton Uwaifo, four-star tight end Malik Howard, four-star DL Kadin Fife, three-star cornerback Dylan Haley, three-star safety Jaden Butler, three-star linebacker J.P. Peace, three-star quarterback Derrick Baker, three-star CB Slim Leavell, three-star CB Carter Jamison, JUCO defensive lineman Christian Mays, and longsnapper Sam McKeown.
