‘They have not shut the door’ – Tennessee gets some news that will make Ohio State fans very unhappy
The Tennessee Vols are poised to break the hearts of Ohio State Buckeyes fans again.
Tennessee ripped the hearts out of Ohio State fans in July when the Vols landed 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges over the Buckeyes.
For months, Ohio State fans were certain that Gabriel Georges was destined to land in Columbus, so it wasn’t a surprise that they didn’t take it well when the five-star recruit chose Rocky Top instead (Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day didn’t take it well, either).
Now, the Vols are trying to deliver another gut punch to the Buckeyes.
Tennessee is working to flip DJ Jacobs from Ohio State, and the door isn’t shut
2027 five-star EDGE DJ Jacobs, the No. 1 recruit in the nation (per 247Sports), has been committed to Ohio State since last December.
Tennessee has remained involved with Jacobs due in large part to the Georgia native’s connection to Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner.
Jacobs’ father played for Garner at Georgia, and the two have remained close over the last 25 years.
For now, Jacobs is solidly committed to Ohio State, but he hasn’t shut down his recruitment.
Jacobs is expected to be at Neyland Stadium for a game this fall when his brother, 2028 four-star defensive lineman Dawson Jacobs, takes a recruiting visit to Tennessee.
“I think that they’ll be inside Neyland Stadium this season for four-star Dawson Jacobs’ recruitment,” said On3’s Steve Wiltfong this week. “Tennessee, they’re a team that is exciting going into the season. What kind of season are they going to have? We know the Buckeyes, their track record of success, and what they do for their players off the field as well — they didn’t land this commitment by accident. They check a lot of boxes.
“I think that Tennessee’s performance on the field this year is pivotal as they try and make a push here for DJ Jacobs moving forward. He’s going to be at Ohio State a few times this season. And in recently talking to his dad, the priority is to get him back up to Columbus — around the players and around the recruits — and continue to get comfortable. But they have not shut the door on other programs or on where this process could take them from now until the early signing period in December. And Tennessee is one of the programs that they’re watching.“
It’s too early to make any sort of prediction on how this will play out with Jacobs, but it’s clear that Tennessee has a chance.
If the Vols have a strong season defensively under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, it’ll certainly help Tennessee’s chances.
The Volunteers have shown in recent years that they are more than capable of beating out Ohio State for elite five-star recruits (offensive lineman David Sanders Jr and Gabriel Georges), so I wouldn’t be shocked if Tennessee pulls off something special here.
