The Tennessee Vols and the Ohio State Buckeyes are the final two schools for 2027 five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, who is set to announce his commitment on July 22.

Ole Miss was also in the mix for Gabriel Georges, but the Rebels have been eliminated (which was expected all along).

One scenario is off the table for David Gabriel Georges

Recruiting in the NIL/transfer portal era is nothing like it was in the pre-COVID era of college football. When a team lost a recruiting battle in the pre-NIL era, the coaching staff was left feeling like it wasted months (or even years) building a relationship with a player because they knew he’d be playing for another program for the next three or four years.

In the NIL era, coaches know that the relationship could still pay off down the road if the player ever enters the transfer portal (we saw this with Tennessee basketball and Juke Harris in April).

That won’t be the case with Gabriel Georges, who is expected to receive an NIL deal worth nearly $2 million. His family has made it clear that the five-star running back’s decision in July will be where he’s spending the next three years of his career.

“The family is very clear that it wants a multi-year deal, so they have a roadmap for his entire career,” said a source to On3 this week.

That means that if Tennessee misses on Gabriel Georges in July, they won’t have the option of pursuing him in a year or two via the transfer portal.

So that makes the next couple of weeks in this recruiting battle even more important for the Volunteers.

It’s time for Tennessee to go all-in in this recruiting battle. They need to put their best offer on the table, and they need to offer Gabriel Georges’ high school teammate Jordan Darren Djila. The Vols need to use every resource they have to win this recruiting battle in July, otherwise they’ll finish second to Ohio State. And as the wise Reese Bobby said in Talladega Nights, if you’re not first, you’re last. And Tennessee can’t afford to not be first in this recruiting battle.