The Tennessee Vols are reportedly ‘pushing hard’ to land a 3-star 2027 RB while still pursuing 5-star RB David Gabriel Georges
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers are hoping to land 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, but that’s not the only 2027 running back the Vols are pursuing.
The Tennessee Vols’ top 2027 recruiting target is easily five-star running back David Gabriel Georges.
Gabriel Georges, 6-foot/205 pounds from Chattanooga, TN (he’s originally from Canada), is rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 running back in the nation and the No. 12 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class.
The Vols are also pursuing another running back in the 2027 recruiting class — three-star running back Asa Barnes.
Barnes, 5-foot-11/200 pounds from Martin, TN, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 41 running back in the nation and the No. 24 player in the state of Tennessee. He plays at Westview High School, where he is teammates with quarterback Graham Simpson, the younger brother of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Ty Simpson.
According to On3’s Chad Simmons, the Volunteers are “pushing hard” for Barnes.
“Tennessee is pushing hard to land in-state running back target Asa Barnes, and we still like the Vols’ position,” wrote Simmons.
Arkansas and Kentucky are also in the mix for Barnes.
Does pursuing Asa Barnes hurt the Vols with their pursuit of David Gabriel Georges?
One question some fans have is whether pursuing Barnes hurts the Vols’ chances of landing Gabriel Georges.
And I’m confident that the answer to that is no, it does not hurt Tennessee’s pursuit of Gabriel Georges.
VolQuest’s Austin Price noted last December that Gabriel Georges is “big on having someone to help share the load.”
“He’s an instant impact type player,” said Price. “He really is. And I will say this — he’s big on having someone to help share the load. He does not want to be a guy who carries it 30 times. He wants to be a guy who carries it 18 times and makes the 18 (carries) count. So, I think he wants other backs around him. He definitely wants to be the guy, he just wants to be the guy in moderation.
“If you get into the right kind of game, sure he’s gonna carry it 30 times and he isn’t going to complain. But I think he wants help around him. He doesn’t want it to be him every game, all game. And that’s kind of been Tennessee’s thought process. Except for the Dylan Sampson year, they’ve done a nice job of balancing and sharing carries.”
Gabriel Georges is trending to make a decision this summer, but an announcement has not been scheduled yet.