There’s been a lot of debate in recent weeks over whether the Tennessee Vols or the Ohio State Buckeyes lead for 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges.

Several of On3’s national analysts believe Ohio State is the leader for the talented running back.

“From his relationship with position coach Carlos Locklyn to Ohio State’s success at running back, the Buckeyes will be tough to beat,” noted On3’s Adam Gorney this week. “Tennessee is in this recruitment along with others but it would be a stunner if Gabriel Georges didn’t end up in Columbus.”

VolQuest’s Austin Price, however, believes the Vols are in as good a spot as they can be at this point in Gabriel Georges’ recruitment.

“He’s kind of laying low,” said Price last week of Gabriel Georges. “I continue to maintain that I think Tennessee is in the best spot. And I will stay in that lane as of right now, as we head into the spring. To me, it’s always been a two team race…I just don’t see another team entering this race. Maybe I’ll be wrong, and all of a sudden, here comes another school that factors in. But it just feels like it’s a two team race. Again, I like where Tennessee is there. I think Tennessee’s done a really nice job — they’ve done as well as they possibly could do to this point.”

Gabriel Georges, 6-foot/205 pounds from Chattanooga, TN (he’s originally from Canada), is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 2 running back in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee. He’s also rated as the No. 11 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class.

247Sports’ Tom Loy weighs in on David Gabriel Georges

247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy shared his thoughts on Gabriel Georges this week, and he feels like it’ll ultimately be Tennessee that wins the battle for the five-star recruit.

If you talk to both schools (Tennessee and Ohio State), each has reasons for optimism,” wrote Loy. “My gut feeling here is that he ends up a Vol when the dust settles.”

Loy also noted that Gabriel Georges “is expected to take official visits to both programs before making a final decision”.

Both schools are clearly doing a great job in this recruiting battle. For now, it feels like this one could go either way, but we’ll have a better idea of where each school stands following Gabriel Georges’ official visits later this spring and summer.

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