David Gabriel Georges reveals Tennessee’s secret weapon that helped push the Vols over the top to land the 5-star running back
Tennessee landed one of the biggest names in the 2027 class, and it was a small gesture from their running backs coach that helped get it done.
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols finally have their man.
On Wednesday evening, five-star Chattanooga Baylor RB David Gabriel Georges put all the speculation aside and made his college choice. With hats from Ole Miss, Ohio State, and Tennessee on the table, the elite talent put on the orange one with the Power T.
After he made his choice, 247 Sports’ Tom Loy asked Gabriel Georges about why he chose the Volunteers.
“Really made me feel like home, just being around those people, and talking with the strength and conditioning coach, I just feel that would be a great place for me, a great fit,” Gabriel Georges said.
Gabriel Georges also credited Heupel with the effort in his recruitment.
“He made it clear that he really wanted me on the team, and really wanted to use me as a weapon, and I think that was really the most that I’d seen. It was really great.”
However, Gabriel Georges gave a shoutout to Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims, and he mentioned specifically how he helped Gabriel Georges — who is Canadian and speaks French as his native language — handle the language barrier.
David Gabriel Georges credits Tennessee RB coach De’Rail Sims with handling the language barrier in his recruitment
“He made really nice — for example, English is my second language. So, during those meetings, I’m on the field visiting with him, he’s showing me ways that I can learn and just be able to talk with him, and just, I guess, if I don’t understand something, he will just translate for me and just show me I can learn from him.”
That’s a pretty impressive job from Sims, and it’s clear that was important to Gabriel Georges and likely his family. Much has been made during his recruitment about his relationship with Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, who he’s been said to have a strong relationship with.
But at the end of the day, one of the factors that helped Tennessee end up gaining the edge for the top player in the state was the help Sims gave him in the language department.
Dollars and opportunity clearly matter, and undoubtedly they did here, but sometimes it’s also the little things like this that can help tilt a recruitment in one team’s favor.