Ohio State fans claiming Tennessee went too far in landing David Gabriel Georges are forgetting — or omitting — a couple of important things
The Vols earned the pledge of one of the top players in the 2027 class, and the response of Ohio State’s fan base has been…something.
The Tennessee Vols won arguably the biggest recruiting battle by any team in the country this year when five-star Chattanooga Baylor running back David Gabriel Georges picked UT over Ohio State on Wednesday evening.
Gabriel named plenty of reasons as to why he picked Tennessee. He talked about the relationships he and his family had built with Josh Heupel and running backs coach De’Rail Sims.
And he also talked about misconceptions about why he picked Tennessee over Ohio State in a statement he released on social media shortly after the announcement, where he said the following:
I also feel it is important to address something. What should have been one of the most meaningful and joyful moment of my life has, at times, been overshadowed by negative media coverage, false narratives, and unfair assumptions about both my character and my family. I understand the passion, excitement, and pride that college football inspires, and I have great respect for every fan base and every program involved in this process. However, any form of harassment, and the spread of misinformation is simply unnecessary and uncalled for.
That was issued in no small part due to the nastiness from fans on social media before and after the announcement of his commitment to the Vols.
Social media is often a gross place, with accusations and petty beefs flying left and right all day long, particularly on Twitter/X. And a number of Ohio State fans have gone there to complain about Tennessee going way too far with their reported NIL offer of approximately $2 million per year for three years in addition to other perks. That the Ohio State program is basically above giving an unproven freshman extreme benefits, with some saying he’s not worth it.
Well, in reality, Ohio State has shown they’re willing to go the extra mile in the recruitment of an elite talent. And they were willing to even take a step that Tennessee wasn’t willing to match with Gabriel Georges.
Ohio State went a step further than Tennessee and offered Gabriel Georges’ friend a scholarship
Ohio State upped the ante in their pursuit of Gabriel Georges back in June, whey they offered his friend and Baylor teammate Jordan Darren Djila Tchuisseu a scholarship.
To be clear, Darren Djila Tschuisseu’s offer list includes the following programs: Georgia State, Kennesaw State, UT-Martin, and Dartmouth. Not one single Power Four offer to be seen. So it’s pretty clear that Ohio State was willing to burn, effectively, two scholarships on one player. That’s not insignificant by any means.
And while Ole Miss was willing to do the same thing, Tennessee was not.
Ohio State was reportedly willing to give a huge NIL package to another young star in Tennessee OT David Sanders, Jr. that eclipsed the NIL earnings of entire Ohio State offensive line
And, of course, on the topic of NIL, some Ohio State backers made the argument that, well, you can’t pay a young player big money ahead of veterans.
But that’s the world we live in now. Numbers are going to increase. NFL contract average annual values gradually rise, just as they do in all professional sports. Players aren’t taking less to play, and the numbers will only continue to go up. And that includes those coming into college football, just as recently drafted rookies used to command huge numbers in the NFL (hello, Sam Darnold) before rookie wage scales were implemented in the collective bargaining agreement in 2011.
And oh, by the way, Ohio State, according to Buckeyes insider Jeremy Birmingham back in 2024, was willing to offer five-star OT David Sanders, Jr., “more money than the rest of the offensive line currently makes. Or close to it.” Sanders went on to commit to Tennessee over Ohio State and is the Vols’ starting left tackle going into 2026.
Ohio State was reportedly set to give Sanders more than what the established Buckeyes linemen had earned then, so saying Ohio State is above doing that with DGG is a bit sanctimonious.
In any event, the Vols won out for Gabriel Georges in the end, and Ohio State is left looking to fill a big hole in their 2027 recruiting class.