The Tennessee Vols and the Ohio State Buckeyes are battling it out for 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges.

Gabriel Georges, 6-foot/205 pounds from Chattanooga, TN (he’s originally from Canada), is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 2 running back in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee. He’s also rated as the No. 10 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class.

VolQuest’s Austin Price said in December that Ohio State and Tennessee are the top two teams in the five-star running back’s recruitment.

“As good a position as you can be in at this point for a recruitment that is several months out from having a decision,” said Price of where the Vols stand for Gabriel Georges. “Tennessee and Ohio State — I know he lowered it to eight — but it’s really those top two teams. We’ll see if somebody else can get involved. It does not feel that way as of right now. It feels like those two teams are destined to battle it out until a decision is made sometime in the spring or summer.

“The question is when does he take official visits? There’s been a lot of chatter out there that he may take some official visits in the spring. If that’s the case, then that bumps up the decision compared to most kids. I think if you’re Tennessee, the big thing here is you don’t want to do the visit in the spring at Tennessee and then him wait until the summer (to take an official visit) at Ohio State. Northern schools are always going to push for summertime (visits). Now, this kid is from Canada, so a 45 degree visit in April in Columbus, versus a 75 to 80 degree visit in June, I just don’t think it matters — because he’s used to the cold. So at the end of the day, we’ll see how quickly he decides to take these official visits.”

Ole Miss is trying to get into the mix for David Gabriel Georges

247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy noted this week that Ole Miss is trying to become a factor in the recruiting battle for Gabriel Georges.

“We’ve considered Tennessee and Ohio State the biggest players for the 6-0, 205-pounder for a long time,” wrote Loy. “That remains the case today. If he ends up anywhere else, everyone will be quite surprised. That said, don’t rule out Ole Miss. The Rebels are battling. Look for “DGG” to take multiple visits before shutting things down and making a decision.”

You can’t blame Ole Miss for trying — Gabriel Georges is a dynamic talent who already looks like he could be a premier running back for an SEC program.

But as Loy noted, it would be quite a surprise if a team other than Tennessee or Ohio State emerges as the winner in this recruiting battle.

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