As the days pass by this month, we get closer and closer to the commitment date for elite 2027 running back David Gabriel Georges, which is reportedly planned for July 22. It’s one of, if not the most heated recruiting battle in the country this week as Tennessee, Ohio State, and Ole Miss battle for the five-star prospect’s pledge.
While Gabriel Georges has taken an official visit to all three programs, reports suggest that the race is mainly down to Tennessee and Ohio State. Ole Miss is reportedly not giving up, but the signs point to the Vols and the Buckeyes.
Earlier this week, Rivals reported that Gabriel Georges had made up his mind in where he was committing to. During an episode of Rivals’ recruiting show on Wednesday, though, Wiltfong re-framed that by saying Gabriel Georges was “close” to making his decision.
Wiltfong also shared some insight into what Tennessee is bringing to the table in terms of the recruitment.
“Both programs I think feel great about where they stand because of what they have to offer,” Wiltfong said. “And for Tennessee, immediate starting job, number zero, a chance to be a legend is what his uncle highlighted this week in my conversation with him. Someone that could help bring Tennessee back to the forefront of college football and how special that would be, how a legacy like that would be remembered in Knoxville, alongside guys like Peyton Manning, it would be pretty special. And the relationship with Coach Heupel and the rest of the staff is second-to-none, and having relationships with players on the team, guys from Canada, it’s exciting.”
On3’s Pete Nakos recently reported that Gabriel Georges “is expected to be the highest-paid running back recruit in history,” meaning that whichever school lands him is going to be paying quite a bit. But Wiltfong believes that Tennessee is set up well on that side of things.
“And then obviously we’ve seen Tennessee flex in the modern recruiting era for the top targets in respective recruiting classes,” Wiltfong said. “Going back to Nico Iamaleava and the article in The Athletic about setting a new pace in the NIL recruiting world. I think that with David Gabriel Georges, there is no limit to how far they would go on that end.”
While Gabriel Georges has not made his commitment or dropped any indication of where he’s going to go, Tennessee has put their best foot forward in the race. Wiltfong believes that Tennessee has confidence in being able to get to the finish line on July 22.
“So beyond the football fit and the relationship with Coach Heupel, Coach (De’Rail) Sims, and company, the resources that they have behind them, the support that Tennessee has at Chattanooga’s Baylor School, where he plays, it’s easy to see why the Vols have a lot of confidence. And there’s been conversations behind the scenes that make them confident in landing David Gabriel Georges,” Wiltfong said.
More From RTI: In-State Running Back Recruit Sets Commitment Date With Tennessee Football as Finalist
All of these things are positives in Tennessee’s direction when it comes to DGG’s recruitment. But Ohio State presents as good of an argument as anybody in the country, too.
“I’ve had a long-standing pick of Ohio State,” Wiltfong said. “I could easily see him at Tennessee. I just haven’t been able to flip that pick because I think that Ohio State still had a lot to say in this recruitment, and I think that David Gabriel Georges could really see himself thriving at Ohio State.”
Rivals’ Industry Rankings tag Gabriel Georges as the No. 9 prospect in the class, the No. 2 running back in the cycle, and the top player from the Volunteer State. The Quebec, Canada, native currently plays for Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN.
Tennessee Football has produced three straight 1,000-yard rushers under head coach Josh Heupel. Jaylen Wright ran for 1,013 yards in 2023, Dylan Sampson broke UT records with 1,491 yards in 2024, and former walk-on running back DeSean Bishop reached 1,076 yards this past season. Bishop returns to the Vols this season and will have a chance to build on his breakout campaign in 2025.
Tennessee Football’s 2027 16-man recruiting class is currently ranked 33rd in the nation on Rivals. Landing Gabriel Georges would make for the Vols’ first five-star recruit in the cycle.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football recruiting news.
