The Miami Hurricanes have put together one of the top recruiting classes for the 2027 cycle. Mario Cristobal has done an outstanding job flipping top talent committed to other marquee programs this year, with former Georgia five-star CB Donte Wright changing his pledge from the Bulldogs to the Hurricanes back in May and CB Ai’King Hall switching his commitment from Oregon to Miami later that month.

Now, Cristobal is attempting to land one of the biggest names in the 2027 class in five-star edge rusher DJ Jacobs, who has been committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes for the past eight months. Rivals insider Steve Wiltfong had linked the Hurricanes as the most serious threat to the Buckeyes to flip Jacobs away from them.

However, according to Rivals on Tuesday, a new team has emerged in the chase for Jacobs. The Tennessee Vols have joined Miami as contenders to flip the 5-star edge rusher.

Miami has a couple of reasons to be worried about the Vols

The Vols hold a built-in advantage in their pursuit of Jacobs. His father played football at Georgia under Rodney Garner, who currently serves as Tennessee’s defensive line coach. That existing relationship between the Jacobs family and Garner gives Tennessee a connection that few other programs can replicate.

Tennessee’s recent recruiting track record suggests the program will be aggressive in pursuing Jacobs. The Vols’ recruitment of David Gabriel Georges demonstrated that Tennessee will match or exceed any competitor when it comes to landing high-end prospects. The program has shown a willingness to be as aggressive as anyone in the country from an NIL standpoint.

Hurricanes have proven they won’t back down from NIL battles

That being said, Miami has a lot going for them right now on the recruiting front, and NIL is up there. According to On3 Sports, Miami has made quarterback Darian Mensah the highest-compensated athlete in all of college sports through NIL at $6.5 million. That willingness to invest at the top of the market makes the Hurricanes a dangerous competitor for any recruit, regardless of existing commitments.

Bottom line: this is still Ohio State’s fight to lose, to speak the obvious.  It’s clear they’re still in the driver’s seat, and he’s expected to be in Columbus this fall for games, per Wiltfong. 

But Tennessee’s emergence creates a three-team battle for one of the most impactful players in the entire 2027 class, and the Buckeyes now have to expend time and resources fending off challenges from multiple directions from programs who have track records of investing heavily in talent.  

We’ll see how this all plays out over the coming weeks and months, but Tennessee’s entrance into this race adds another layer to what was already shaping up as one of the most compelling flip watches for the 2027 class going into the college football season.