For the last several months, the Ohio State Buckeyes have been viewed nationally as the favorites for 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges.

But after an official visit with the Tennessee Vols that apparently went as well as it possibly could’ve, the national view is that this battle is very close (which has always been the belief on the Tennessee side of things).

On3’s Steve Wiltfong changes his tune on David Gabriel Georges’ recruitment

On3’s Steve Wiltfong is among the national analysts who have been predicting Gabriel Georges to Ohio State.

Wiltfong has always viewed Tennessee as the Buckeyes’ biggest competition for the five-star recruit, but he’s consistently said that he believes Ohio State is the team to beat.

But after Gabriel Georges’ official visit to Tennessee, Wiltfong is sounding more optimistic about the Vols’ chances of landing the Baylor School standout.

“Gabriel Georges feels like Tennessee’s No. 1 overall target and in the Josh Heupel era the Vols have a terrific hit rate when it comes to the favorite player on the board,” noted Wiltfong on Sunday. “… My prediction has been on Ohio State for much of Gabriel Georges’ process. Now that the Tennessee OV has taken place, while never sleeping on the Vols, it certainly feels like that could be real down the road.”

Gabriel Georges still has upcoming official visits planned to Ole Miss and Georgia. For now, those visits are on as scheduled, though neither of those schools are viewed as a real threat in this battle. If anything, those visits will serve as palate cleansers for Gabriel Georges before he enters decision mode.

The Canadian-born running back isn’t planning to announce his commitment until July 22, so there’s still plenty of time for things to change in this battle, but it certainly sounds like the Vols put themselves in a very strong position to land the future NFL running back.