The Tennessee Vols and the Ohio State Buckeyes are the top two contenders for 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges.

Gabriel Georges, who is originally from Canada, is rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee.

The Vols have made the five-star running back their top priority, but several national analysts have made predictions for Ohio State to win this battle.

Those predictions have been made despite the fact that Gabriel Georges hasn’t made any decision yet, and likely won’t until after he takes his official visits (which are set to begin next week).

“Tennessee’s in as good a spot as they can be, as we sit here in early May,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price last month on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “Now, I don’t believe David Gabriel Georges has made up his mind. No matter what everybody wants to say, and has pushed [that] narrative for so long, I don’t believe Gabriel Georges has made a decision.

“I think he likes both schools. I think there are perks at both, and that’s why he’s going to go through the official visit process. Tennessee has some nice feathers in their cap, and Ohio State does as well. But again, I continue to like where Tennessee is at, as we sit here in early May. But I also firmly believe DGG does not know for certain what he’s doing right now, and so he is going to go through the process and see where things shake out.”

So what gives? Why are predictions being made for Ohio State to land Gabriel Georges when he’s still undecided?

The main reason why David Gabriel Georges is being predicted to Ohio State has been uncovered

On3’s Steve Wiltfong doubled down on his Gabriel Georges to Ohio State prediction on Wednesday, and he provided some context on why he’s making that prediction.

“I’m still riding with my prediction in favor of Ohio State for Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School five-star running back David Gabriel Georges,” wrote Wiltfong. “With the way the Buckeyes have developed and showcased running backs, to the consistency of the program, to the competitive NIL opportunities, Ohio State checks the most boxes and is the best fit.

“They’ve set up the depth chart in a fashion for Gabriel Georges to have an instant impact as well. Tennessee remains the biggest challenger and there is a lot of investment heading on the Vols end. We’ll see if the Checkered Orange can make a move in June.”

Essentially, it sounds like Wiltfong is making his prediction based on the fact that Ohio State’s had more success sending running backs to the NFL — who then go on to have success — under Ryan Day than Tennessee has under Josh Heupel.

It’s undeniable that Ohio State has had better luck sending running backs to the NFL in recent years than Tennessee, but that’s mostly because the Buckeyes have signed the higher-rated offensive talent, for the most part, during that time frame.

The good news for the Vols, though, is that Wiltfong’s prediction isn’t based on some secret intel that Gabriel Georges is only sharing with him (at least as far as we know).

Ultimately, I think Gabriel Georges is talented enough that he could be a first round NFL draft pick if he signed with Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC (which doesn’t have a football program). He’s that talented right now as a high schooler.

So my advice to the kid would be to just sign with whichever school you’re most comfortable at — your talent will carry you the rest of he way.